Football
Lindsay du Plessis 3y

Banyana captain Janine van Wyk exits Glasgow City in wake of Scottish title win

South Africa women's national team captain Janine van Wyk has announced her exit from Glasgow City FC, just weeks after being part of a side that won the Scottish Women's Premier League 1 title.

The veteran defender, who had spent nearly two years recovering from a knee injury before making her league debut for Glasgow in April, was a key element in the club's title run, helping them recover from poor form earlier in the season.

Van Wyk, who did not give a reason for her departure, wrote: "It's with a sad heart to announce that my time with Glasgow City Football club has unfortunately come to an end.

"Although this journey has been a short one, I can honestly say that I've thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my time there.

"Making this decision to move on in my career hasn't been an easy one, but sometimes in life you have to accept that things happen for a reason even if the reason doesn't make any sense in the moment.

"I'd like to thank City for believing in me as a player and for giving me an opportunity to represent this incredible club."

Earlier in the week, the former Houson Dash defender had written something of a foreshadowing tweet, saying: "Our darkest moments are when we feel life is out of control. Things are happening or not happening and we are powerless to change them.

"Just know that as long as you are alive, you have the power to choose, to think, to believe that it will all work out the way it's supposed to."

While there has been no indication of retirement for the 34-year-old, who has already founded a football club back home, Van Wyk told ESPN earlier this year that football would always be part of her career plan.

She said in March: "I am currently doing my badges -- my coaching licenses -- I am soon going to start my UEFA B License to get those badges behind my name, because I want to stay in the game, I want to get into coaching.

"I want to help develop young girls -- and not necessarily [only] young girls, but players in general, and just share my expertise and my knowledge that I have gained over the years to other female football players."

Meanwhile, Banyana Banyana's trip to the Netherlands for a friendly on July 3 was called off on Monday, after a number of South Africa players tested positive for the coronavirus, which sent the entire team into isolation as they had been in camp together.

South Africa is in the midst of a third wave, with President Cyril Ramaphosa putting the country into a level 4 lockdown on Sunday night. The country is currently recording around 13,000 new infections a day.

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