Covid-19 Hits The Banyana Banyana WAFCON Camp In Morocco

Banyana Banyana will be forced to soldier on without a number of players after positive Covid-19 cases emerged in camp in Rabat, Morocco. The South African senior national team is preparing for a crunch Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) quarter-final match against Tunisia on Thursday, 14 July 2022 and a win against the North Africans will also ensure that coach Desiree Ellis’ charges are one of the four continental sides to qualify for the 2023 World Cup to be co- hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

“We had one official who tested positive before the Burundi game [in the group stages of the tournament]. The official was isolated and treated as she was symptomatic,” Banyana team physician Dr Rodney Mokoka told www.safa.net.

“And 48 hours prior to the Botswana game [the final group stage match], we had one player who tested positive for Covid-19 and she was also symptomatic. She was put in quarantine and treated accordingly. Her asymptomatic roommate who tested negative is in isolation, hence they both missed Botswana game.”

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Ellis has maintained a positive outlook ahead of another round of Covid-19 tests that will be conducted before the match on Thursday.

The 2022 WAFCON took centre stage for the first time in four years after the previous edition was cancelled due the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic that wreaked havoc with the international sporting calendar.

KGATLANA RULED OUT OF WAFCON

At the start of this week, Diski365 reported that Banyana faced massive injury blow after forward Thembi Kgatlana was ruled out of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco on Monday.

Kgatlana sustained a ruptured Achilles tendon in the Banyana’s Group C match against Botswana on Sunday and had to be stretched off the pitch in the 69th minute. She had to undergo an MRI scan which confirmed the extent of the injury on Monday.

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Banyana Banyana physician, Doctor Rodney Mokoka, confirmed the injury and said the player will return to South Africa for an operation.

“Thembi Kgatlana sustained a complete rupture of the left Achilles tendon against Botswana, which was confirmed by the MRI scan this morning. Unfortunately she will be out for the whole WAFCON 2022 tournament and she is due for an operation back home in South Africa,” Mokoka told www.safa.net on Monday.