Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has reiterated that the door hasn’t been slammed completely shut for veteran defender Janinie van Wyk ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Van Wyk, who is Banyana’s most capped player with 180 appearances, was once again snubbed by Ellis in the squad that suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Serbia in an international friendly on Monday.
Banyana Banyana will face the Europeans away from home as part of their preparations for the global showpiece set to take place in Australia and New Zealand in a few months’ time.
JANINE VAN WYK OMISSION FROM BANYANA SQUAD
Van Wyk, the former Banyana skipper, hasn’t been in Ellis’ plans since the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations [WAFCON] where she hardly kicked a ball.
The 35-year-old has since been in and out of the squad and was also left out of the Banyana team that participated in the Turkish Women’s Cup in February.
Her recent omission from the squad to face the Serbians suggests the curtain could finally be closing on Van Wyk’s international career.
However, Ellis maintains that the only reason the former captain isn’t part of the squad is because she is trying to see what other players can bring to the table.
Ellis maintains that the door is not closed for Van Wyk, or any other player to force their way into the squad that will play at the World Cup in July.
DOOR NOT CLOSED FOR VAN WYK
“Look, we know what Janine can do but we also need to give other’s an opportunity,” said Ellis.
“We want to ensure that when we make that final decision, we have really exhausted all the avenues.
“I mean, [Lebogang] Ramalepe is also not here. She just recently started playing so we need to look at others. We want to ensure that when we select the squad, we will have a squad for every eventuality.
“We want to ensure that we have the right mix of youth and experience. That is really important for us.”
Banyana are in a tough Group G at the World Cup alongside the likes of Argentina, Italy and Sweden.
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