Banyana Banyana are set to face former world champions Japan in an international friendly match scheduled for Sunday, 10 November 2019.
The South African Women’s national team will square off against Japan at the Kitakyushu Stadium in Fukuoka, Japan. with kick-off scheduled for 3pm.
As hosts, Japan have automatically qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, which runs from 24 July to 9 August, and will use this friendly as preparation for the tournament.
Speaking to the media, Banyana coach Desiree Ellis said: ‘We are very excited to be playing this match because Japan is one of the powerhouses in women’s football. I am confident this is going to be a great spectacle and we’re looking forward to this match, which comes after the huge disappointment of being knocked out of the Olympic qualifiers.
‘Once again our greatest gratitude to Safa and our proud sponsor Sasol for making sure they keep the team going, more so against such top-quality opposition. It may seem far but we still have Afcon qualifiers next year, so we have to be preparing all the time and always be ready.’
This will be only the second meeting between the two nations, having first met at the group stages of the London Olympic Games back in July 2012, which ended goalless at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff.
Some of the players from the current squad who played in that match include Robyn Moodaly, Nothando Vilakazi, Janine van Wyk, Leandra Smeda, Noko Matlou and Refiloe Jane.
‘Japan is the leader in Asia and a former world champion. They have won the World Cup at U17, U20 and senior level, so they are very tough customers,’ added the former Banyana Banyana captain.
‘They are similar in the way we want to play, so this is a great opportunity to get to learn more from them. They are further ahead than us in their development, so it will be huge test for us. They run non-stop and that means we have to be in a good physical shape and stay fully concentrated for the duration of the game. They are small in stature like us and have perfected their way of playing – their passing and movement off the ball is something we can learn from. Technically and tactically they are very effective and do the simple things well.’
