Banyana Banyana have joined the fight against breast cancer by wearing a special edition pink jersey to raise awareness during their narrow 2-1 loss to England in an international friendly in Coventry.
Banyana gave a good account of against themselves against the ‘Lionesses’ of England after they had lost 5-0 to Denmark in the opening game of their European tour.
While performance was a major talking point of the game, Banyana’s new pink jersey also generated buzz on social media, with fans praising its design and colour.
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Some fans, though, wondered why the national team was not wearing their traditional yellow and green green colours.
Before the match, the South African football Association revealed that the African champions would wear the pink jersey to raise awareness about breast cancer.
“The pink jersey is a once-off playing strip that will be used to honour Breast Cancer Awareness month, which is celebrated during the month of October in South Africa,” said a statement. “The Breast Cancer Awareness campaign is aimed at honouring women who have been affected by breast cancer, while also raising awareness for women to get tested.”
Banyana Banyana are not the first national team to join the fight against breast cancer. The Proteas men’s cricket team also have a ‘Pink Day’ match every year, where players and fans wear pink to raise awareness about the disease.
This match is typically staged at DP World Wanderers Stadium during the in-bound summer tour. The initiative has previously been backed by financial services provider Momentum and it has become a massive occasion on the sporting and social calendar.