Janine van Wyk grateful to be in the history books
Janine van Wyk grateful to be in the history books
Banyana Banyana defender Janine van Wyk became only the second African football player to reach 184 national team caps.
The 36-year-old reached the milestone during Banyana’s 1-1 draw with Burkina Faso in the final round of the Caf Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) qualifier match.
The veteran defender currently shares the record with Egypt legend Ahmed Hassan but could become the first African player to reach 185 caps when South Africa host Burkina Faso on Monday.
Janine van Wyk grateful for opportunity
“I am very happy the coaching staff gave me an opportunity to step on the field and I am grateful to my teammates for supporting me. It’s 184 caps, one more cap to go and I am just happy to be with the team. It is just unfortunate that we didn’t get the result that we came here for,” said Van Wyk.
“But we have one leg to go which I am sure will be a positive one.”
Banyana have to beat Burkina Faso on Monday at the Lucas Moripe Stadium but a goalless draw will also be enough to see Van Wyk and the team into the Afcon finals.
“We now know how Burkina Faso plays I think we can capitalise on their weaknesses. Unlucky with the result, but we have one more chance to go and I am pretty sure it will be a good result for us,” Van Wyk said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY ELIOT MAHLASE