Banyana Banyana wore a special edition pink jersey to raise awareness about breast cancer during their narrow 2-1 loss against England at the Coventry Building Complex on Tuesday.
Banyana gave a good account of against themselves against the ‘Lionesses’ of England after they had lost 5-0 to Denmark in their opening game of their mini 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.
Some fans however, wondered why the national team was not wearing their traditional yellow and green green colours.
Before the match the South African football Association (SAFA) had revealed that the African champions will wear the pink jersey 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.
“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,” Safa said on their website.
A few pics from our second half against England
🏴![CDATA[]]>![CDATA[]]>![CDATA[]]>![CDATA[]]>![CDATA[]]>![CDATA[]]>v2️⃣-1️⃣🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦#LiveTheImpossible #SasolInSport@SasolinSport @SasolSA @Shield_ZA @LeCoqSportif_SA pic.twitter.com/QK0GiUJB9q
According to the Cancer Association of South Africa, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, approximately 19.4 million women aged 15 and older are at risk of being diagnosed with the disease in the country.
While breast cancer can also affect men, women remain the most impacted by the disease.
Where have we seen this before?
The Proteas cricket team also have a Pink Day match every year where the players and the fans wear pink to raise awareness about the disease.
This match is typically staged at The Wanderers cricket ground during the in-bound summer tour. The initiative is backed by financial services provider Momentum, and it has become a massive occasion on the sporting and social calendar.
Before not too long, maybe we will see the Pink Boks or the Pink Bafana.
IOL Sport