‘Mares ready for battle’
Kabelo Boranabi | Saturday June 18, 2022 06:00
The Mares will leave for Morocco early next week for the 2022 Africa Women's Cup of Nations (AWCON) finals scheduled to start on July 4. The team will be competing at the continental finals for the first time.
The Mares will make a pit stop in Tunisia before heading to Morocco. Speaking to Mmegi Sport after the final local camp, Nkutlwisang said there is a sense of confidence within the squad. She said the ultimate goal is to try to fight for the honours. However, Ronaldo's other eye is on the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification. The tournament's four semi-finalists will automatically qualify for the World Cup while two more teams will fight for berths through an inter-continental playoff. “This is a team that has gone over a lot of obstacles.
This is a team that has been tested before in so many ways and has had some success against odds like what we achieved at COSAFA (Women’s Championship) and qualifying for the WAFCON. I can say that looking at the efforts they put in during our training sessions, they are ready for battle. We are going there, firstly to try and put our name up there. There is also a chance for us to go to the World Cup so we are going to give it all our best. Secondly, we are going to learn, so that we come back home a far better team,” Nkutlwisang said.
The team held its final local training camp in Jwaneng last week as Ronaldo welcomed the foreign-based contingent, with Mamelodi Sundowns’ goalkeeper, Sedilame Bosija being the latest to arrive. The team had a courtesy visit from South African Jwaneng Galaxy coach, Morena Ramoreboli in their camp in Jwaneng. “Morena was helpful. What he did was to instil everything that we have been working on. There is a certain way we want to play and do things and his (Ramoreboli) was to give us some confidence. I believe the girls learnt a lot.
Yes, we did watch the Top 8 championship over the weekend but we will not be bringing some of the players in. We are looking at them for the future once we return from Morocco,” Nkutlwisang said. She will take a 21-member squad with five more players on stand-by and the final squad will be today (Friday). The Mares are in Group C alongside tournament favourites Nigeria, neighbours South Africa, and fellow first-timers Burundi. The team will make their tournament debut against Burundi on July 4. Their second game group stage match will be against Nigeria on July 7 before taking on South Africa in the final group stages match on July 10.