31 Jan 2024

The Botswana U-17 national women’s football team goes into the second round of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Qualification Africa-2024 with an advantage as they play against Burundi at the National Stadium in Gaborone.

The two will meet twice on February 6 and February 9 in Gaborone as Burundi does not have an accredited stadium.

In an interview, the team’s head coach, Jacqueline Gaobinelwe said hosting their opponents twice at home would give them an added advantage and she hoped that the players would utilise the opportunity.

“We will be playing in front of our supporters in our own stadium, and there is no need for us to acclimatise.

What we only need is to win the home and away games and proceed to the next round of the tournament,” she said.

Gaobinelwe said preparations had been going on well and all the players were upbeat and waiting for the game.

The players, she said had been working very hard and they had fine tuned all the departments to avoid unnecessary errors on the day.

“We are expecting a lot from them looking at how they respond during training. It shows they are determined and dedicated to win the games,” she said.

The coach said Burundi was a close book.

However, she said that would not deter her girls from applying themselves.

“But it is going to be a very competitive game and we are going to approach it with all what we have.

Our ultimate goal is to register maximum points in these games,” she said.

The team’s captain, Lotang Ebineng said she was happy they would be playing the first and second leg at home.

“Burundi will sweat until the last whistle,” she said.

Ebineng said the morale and spirit in camp was high and all the players were looking forward to finish off their opponents.

She said there was a lot of pressure for them to qualify given that The Mares had qualified for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).  

She, however, said they were going to play their own game with less pressure.

“Yes, we want to make history and qualify for the World Cup, but the most important thing is to take each game as it comes and the rest will follow,” she said. ENDS