Sports
South Africa Name Final Squad For Aisha Buhari Cup
South Africa’s head coach, Desiree Ellis has named her final 18-woman squad for the Aisha Buhari Cup (Invitational Women’s Tournament).
The tournament is scheduled to hold from 15th – 21st September 2021, in Lagos, Nigeria.
Coach Ellis who assembled her team at the SAFA Technical Centre (Fun Valley) on Sunday, 5th September 2021 believes the Aisha Buhari Cup is ideal for her team’s preparations for the AWCON qualifiers.
“We have the Aisha Buhari Cup, the COSAFA Cup and the AWCON qualifiers and we have already worked on what we think we will need over the next two months,” she said.
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“Consistency and regular game time is always key as we are trying to make sure that we have covered our bases but the first tournament (Aisha Buhari Cup) will dictate what happens next.”
The team is expected to depart for Nigeria on Sunday, 12th September 2021 where they will be joined by their overseas-based players.
Banyana will take on Ghana and Cameroon in the six-nation women’s showpiece.
Also ready excited for the Aisha Buhari Invitational Women’s Football Tournament is Mali striker Aissata Traore who is confident her side will pose a huge threat in Lagos.
The Female Eagles are scheduled to face hosts, Nigeria and 2022 Women Africa Cup of Nations hosts, Morocco in Group A in the preliminary stage of the six-nation women’s championship.
Ahead of the mini-continental showpiece, the Guingamp of France forward is poised to inspire her Malian side to success, while lauding the timing of the women’s tournament.
“I’m just happy and proud of the initiative, especially when it comes from the First Lady of a big country like Nigeria. It will allow teams, especially Mali to better prepare for upcoming competitions. We know that these two teams (Nigeria and Morocco) will be hard to play, but it is a good thing to tackle them and see if we are good to go.”
Stressing on their quest, she said: “Our ambition has never changed – we are challengers and want to go as far as possible in this tournament. So, each match is a final and remains an opportunity to send a strong message.”
Mali will open their campaign against the Super Falcons on September 15 at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, before tackling Morocco later in the showpiece.
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