Desiree Ellis Drops Senior Stars As Banyana Banyana Focus On Youth For Lesotho Clashes

Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis has explained her decision to omit regular national team players from the upcoming back-to-back friendlies against Lesotho, set to take place at the Lucas Moripe Stadium later this month.

The two friendlies are part of Banyana Banyana's preparations for the upcoming Women's Africa Cup of Nations WAFCON tournament, scheduled to take place in Morocco.

Banyana Banyana have been drawn into a challenging Group alongside Ghana, Mali, and Tanzania, and will be seeking to claim the title for a second time.

Ellis and her charges will be eager to return to winning ways after a disappointing mini-tour of Europe last year, where they failed to beat England and Denmark. Furthermore, they also suffered defeats in two friendly matches against Jamaica in December.

Ellis surprised many on Thursday after naming a squad comprising mostly young players, with several experienced players notably missing from the selection.