Durban - The South African Women’s National team coach Desiree Ellis has expressed her joy at her side jetting off to the Turkish Women’s Cup in preparation for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The tournament kicking off on the 13th to the 23rd of this month will feature the likes of Slovenia, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, and Zambia.
The type of opposition presented for Banyana at this preparatory tournament will fit the plans of Ellis as they seek to prepare directly for their World Cup group which features Sweden, Italy, and Argentina.
Ellis believes that the nations they’re going to battle in this tournament will go a long way in facilitating their adjustment to the different styles of their opponents at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
“We are very excited to be going to the Turkish Cup. In our group at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, we have Sweden and Italy, who are European opposition, and then obviously we have Argentina, who are South American opposition,” she explained.
She then added: “We are very excited and grateful that we will be playing a European nation (Turkey) in the Turkish Women’s Cup. We also play Uzbekistan, who are Asian, and then finally a South American opponent (Venezuela).”
“It is a good start to our preparations and we want to also say thank you to the South African Football Association for the efforts to get us the opposition that we want in terms of European and South American sides.”
The current African champions will play all of these fixtures at the Gold City Sports Complex and will battle Turkey on Wednesday 15 February, then tackle Uzbekistan on 18 February, and finally Venezuela on 21 February.
@ScribeSmiso