Banyana Banyana head coach Ellis Desiree has justified her decision for playing Kylian Swart ahead of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) golden gloves-winning Andile Dlamini at the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Desiree has been chastised by fans and pundits for playing Swart instead of Dlamini who was the team’s goalkeeper in the 2019 World Cup.
Swart has conceded four goals in her last two games at the World Cup against Sweden and Argentina.
Meanwhile, coach Desiree justified her decision by stating that Swart deserved a spot in the starting lineup due to her excellent performance.
“I’m not sure what that is based on because if you look at Kaylin’s involvement, including the back passes is higher than many other goalkeepers in the tournament,” she responded to a question during her pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Italy.
Desiree added: “We selected Kaylin specifically because she’s able to assist us when we go back, to get us on the front foot as well.”
Desiree declares Banyana Banyana ready for a must-win match against Italy
Meanwhile, Desiree has declared Banyana Banyana’s final group match against Le Azzure tomorrow.
“Look, it’s the final, you can’t think anything beyond that. We spoke about Argentina being the final, but this is the final we believe we can still get a result to take us to the next stage,” she said.
“We got everything out there and we have to make sure that we leave no stone unturned so that when we get the opportunities we take it.”
South Africa must win their final match tomorrow in order to advance to the knockout stage along with Sweden. Italy and Argentina are also vying for a spot in the next round.
Banyana Banyana and Argentina currently hold third and fourth place in their group with one point each. Italy is in second place with three points while Sweden leads with six points and has already qualified.
