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Banyana Banyana defender Bambanani Mbane dreams of playing overseas despite being 28 – considered relatively old in the sports world.
The player, who hails from Sterkspruit in the Eastern Cape, expressed her hope this week that it was only a matter of time before she finally landed a contract abroad.
“Playing overseas is something I really want,” said the Bloemfontein Ladies centre-back. “Even if it is just for a six-month trial, I will be happy. It doesn’t matter how old I am; it can happen any time. It’s the missing link in my life.
“First, I wanted to play for Banyana. Now that I have achieved that, my next move would be to play overseas.”
Mbane has been a member of the national team since 2016 and has made 30 appearances. She knows that to achieve this feat she needs to continue working hard. “When I speak with my team-mates based overseas, they say the training is on another level and they keep playing against competitive teams – unlike here, where one day you play a strong team and the next game is a different story altogether.”
The latest Banyana players to sign international contracts are Refiloe Jane and Rhoda Mulaudzi, who both joined Australian club Canberra United in August. Jane has been on fire, helping Banyana secure their fifth Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) Women’s Championship crown after
defeating Cameroon 2-1 at Wolfson Stadium in Port Elizabeth last month. In that match, Jane scored both goals.
But for Mbane – voted Diski Queen of the Tournament in the 2017 Sasol League National Championship as well as Queen of Queens of that tournament – the main focus right now is on ensuring that Banyana do well in the upcoming continental showpiece.
The official draw for the 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations – to be hosted by Ghana from November 17 to December 1 – takes place in Accra today.
Mbane said: “The team is ready for anyone. We can’t choose who we would like to play. We want to make history and win the tournament.”
Banyana have not won the Africa Women Cup of Nations before, nor have they qualified for the World Cup.
Mbane did not play in the Cosafa
final, but played against Chile, where the team lost 2-1 on October 6 and drew 2-2 in the second game last week.
“No one is guaranteed game time in the team, so patience and hard work helped me. Our goal is the same and we always support whoever is playing on the day,” said Mbane.
The South American team is ranked 39, 11 places ahead of South Africa.
She said it was important that Banyana played Chile to prepare for the continental competition. “It was great, though difficult playing away. The referee’s decisions didn’t favour us.”
The championship serves as a qualifier for the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.
