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Senior National Women’s team make passionate plea as they prepare for AWCON qualifiers

Apr 9, 2021

The Botswana women senior national football team has called on the nation to rally behind them as they open their year with a series of camps and friendlies that will see them go head-to-head with our neighbors, Namibia in the first round of the Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) qualifiers in June 2021.

Despite the prevailing challenges of no footballing action in the country courtesy of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ladies are upbeat and oozing with confidence that they will triumph in all their set quests. Currently in camp, women’s senior team have rigorously been preparing well as they look to gain more positives against their opponents.

Captain Otlhagile (17) taking a breather during training

Team captain, Bonang ‘Bebeto’ Otlhagile says the mood in their camp is high as every player is yearning and armed with a desire to represent their country and do well particularly with regards to the forthcoming encounter against Banyana Banyana of South Africa this coming Tuesday, April 13, 2021.

Bebeto noted that her teammates know what is at stake as they start their preparations for the looming AWCON, which will be held in Morocco next year, 2022.

“Most of us have been training on our own, in our own spaces because of covid-19. We have missed football so much and we are happy now to be back in action, to do what we love and represent our beautiful country of Botswana. Just by wearing national colours is more than an honour for us. The girls are working extremely hard to gain fitness. The mood here in camp is at an all-time high, we want to use these friendlies to help us perfect our skills to qualify for AWCON. We must be ready by June when the round robin qualifiers start. We have built a family as a team, so it’s always nice when we meet and play for one another and the nation,” said Otlhagile.

Goalkeeper Boseja (green) in action

Meanwhile, The Mares goalkeeper, Sedilame Boseja expressed the same sentiments adding that despite the long dry spell of no footballing activity in the country, individually the girls have been training on their own. She pleaded with the nation to support the team as it embarks on a qualification quest towards the coveted African showpiece.

“I strongly believe individually we have been training, looking at how easily we understood the combinations brought by our technical team. We therefore ask the nation to rally behind us, to motivate and support the team wholeheartedly. Obviously, we want to be that generation that makes history by qualifying,” said Boseja.

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The Mares Display Heart In Tri Nations Challenge

Botswana’s senior women’s national football team recently concluded their campaign in the prestigious Three Nations Challenge, hosted by South Africa from 28 May to 3 June at the Lucas Moripe Stadium. The series saw spirited competition between Botswana, South Africa, and Zambia, as teams continued their preparations for the upcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifiers.

Despite narrowly missing out on the top prize, Botswana showed immense character and growth throughout the tournament. The Mares kicked off their campaign with a thrilling encounter against the African champions South Africa, narrowly going down 3-2 in a tightly contested match. The team bounced back with a determined performance against Zambia, securing a 1-1 draw and demonstrating resilience and tactical discipline.

Final Tournament Results:

South Africa 3–2 Botswana

Botswana 1–1 Zambia

South Africa 2–0 Zambia

South Africa’s Banyana Banyana were ultimately crowned champions of the series, winning both of their matches to take the top spot. The tournament offered valuable game time and experience for all participating nations, and Botswana’s technical team, led by Head Coach Alex Malete, will take key insights from these fixtures as they refine the squad for the crucial WAFCON fianals.