Banyana Banyana ace Refiloe Jane says there is a buzz in camp ahead of Monday’s 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations opener against Nigeria.
Banyana will be buoyed by their win over the Super Falcons to claim the Aisha Buhari Cup title in Lagos in September.
“The mood is high [in camp], and we are in good spirits. We are looking forward to the tournament and excited about it,” Jane told FARPost from Morocco where the prestigious tournament is being hosted.
The former AC Milan star added that they were looking at getting a positive result to set the tone for the rest of the tournament. Rightly so, a win against tournament favourites will put them on the pedestal as they aim at bringing the trophy home.
“Getting a positive result that will set a good tone for the tournament will be important,” she said.
Having played in Europe herself, Jane knows how much the game overseas exposes players and she is wary of the star-studded opponents. The Falcons have Barcelona Femini’s Asisat Oshoala, Francisca Ordega of CSKA Moscow in Russia and Onome Ebi of Guingamp in France, among some of their top stars.
“The whole Nigerian team is challenging to play against, looking at the experience they have. Almost the entire team plays abroad, and they have good management.”
Nonetheless, ‘Fifi’ said they were gunning for the ultimate prize and qualification for the 2023 World Cup.
Reaching the semi-final will earn them the ticket to the 32-team global showpiece in July next year.
“We are hoping to qualify for the World Cup and go all the way to win the trophy.”
