National Under 17 coach Simphiwe Dludlu would have wanted to play a competitive international friendly as Bantwana intensify preparations for the Fifa Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
Dludlu’s charges converge in Johannesburg on Friday for camp to step up preparations for their tie against Ethiopia. The two sides lock horns in the Under 17 qualifier on 15 April 2022 in Johannesburg for the first leg.
Bantwana automatically progressed to the third round of the qualifiers following Kenya’s suspension from football activities by Fifa last month.
“We love coming together and playing international football, and this week will be no different,” said coach Dludlu.
“We will continue building from our last training camp and hoping that the players are still on the level we left them on.
“Although we managed to get a practice match against a local club in our last camp, I still feel it would have been better to play against another country.
“We will be hard at work in the coming week preparing for this qualifier match against Ethiopia, whom we have been studying.”
Dludlu’s side will be hoping to qualify for their third Fifa Under 17 Women’s World Cup, having last qualified in 2010 and 2018.
The tournament will be held in India after being postponed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
