Basetsana a step away from World Cup
Basetsana a step away from World Cup
Posted: 2008-04-16 09:16
The national Under-20 women’s team, Basetsana have been handed an easy passage into the final round of qualifiers of the Fifa Under-20 World Cup following the withdrawal of Mauritius from the competition.
Coach Anna Monate’s team will now meet either Egypt or DR Congo in the final qualifying round in June that determines who qualifies for the World Cup. DR Congo appears the most likely opponent for Basetsana, having won the first leg 2-0 at home to Egypt. The two countries are due to meet in the return leg this weekend in Egypt.
“Mauritius have informed CAF that they have pulled out though we are not in the clear as to why they decided to do so,” says women’s football administrator Fran Hilton-Smith. “But all the same it is essential that we qualify for the World Cup for the good of our football in the future.”
If Basetsana do qualify for the World Cup it will be the first time that a South African women’s national team has qualified for a major global final.
The finals are due to be held in Chile from November 20 to December 7. CAF have two places at the 16-team finals.
Basetsana are bolstered by the inclusion of a number of senior national team players, including Banyana Banyana captain Gloria Thato, Memory Makhanya, Kylie-Ann Louw, Lusinda Bowers and Mamello Makhabane.
Comment on this article:
TERMS OF USE: The comments posted below do not reflect the views of KickOff.com. Users are reminded that no misuse of this comment facility will be tolerated. Any abusive, racist or inflammatory comments will be deleted and the user banned. Please report abusive posts to editor@kickoff.com