Banyana Banyana stalwart Bambanani “Juice” Mbane intends to use her stint at Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies to earn another overseas switch, saying stiff competition at the club is the main reason she chose them over other local teams that were interested in her.
Mbane, 31, joined Sundowns Ladies two weeks ago after opting against renewing her deal with Belarusian Premier League side Dinamo Minsk, an outfit she had joined from Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies in February last year. Mbane helped Minsk to win the 2019/20 championship.
“I still want to return to Europe and I feel at Sundowns I have bigger chances of achieving that because the team is so professional. Last season this team [Sundowns] won the [inaugural] Safa Women’s League. That tells you about their quality,’’ Mbane told Sowetan yesterday.
Mbane admitted that her former club Celtic and other local teams were interested in her before choosing Downs. She also insinuated that the Brazilians had offered her a reasonable package. Even so, the Banyana defender insisted, more than anything, that it was the stiff competition that attracted her to sign with Downs.
“I had a number of offers after coming back from Belarus. Even Celtic wanted me back ... other local clubs showed interest as well but I opted for Sundowns because I love competition,’’ Juice explained.
“I do not want to be in my comfort zone. Here at Sundowns there are nine defenders I am competing with ... for me that’s fascinating because I love to work hard. Money-wise what I am earning here makes me happy but I can’t compare it with what I was getting in Europe.’’
The centre-back, who was born and bred in Sterkspruit, a rural town in the Eastern Cape, wasn’t keen to disclose why she didn’t prolong her stay with Minsk. “I had signed a one-year deal with an option to renew but I didn’t renew for some reasons I can’t share,’’ said Mbane, who boasts more than 50 Bafana caps.
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