London Bees are delighted to announce that forward Sandra Martins has been named in the Cape Verde squad for this year’s WAFCON tournament.
This is a fantastic achievement for Sandy, who will represent her country on one of the biggest stages in African women’s football.
Cape Verde have been drawn in Group D alongside Ghana, Mali and Cameroon, with their opening fixture taking place on Wednesday 29 July against Ghana.
During last season, Sandy was regularly involved with the Cape Verde national team throughout their WAFCON qualifying campaign.
She featured against the likes of Mali, Guinea, Nigeria and Liberia, producing a series of impressive performances that helped secure Cape Verde’s place at this summer’s tournament and earn her a spot in the final squad.
At club level, Sandy also enjoyed an outstanding debut season with the Bees, making 21 appearances in all competitions while scoring 13 goals and providing three assists.
Speaking about her call-up to the Cape Verde squad, Sandra Martins said:
“Representing Cape Verde makes me feel proud of all the work my family, teammates, staff and nation have done throughout these past years.
It makes me cheerful of my football journey and certainly thankful to have experienced the ups and downs of the sport.
When reflecting these things go a long way personally and also from a generational point of view so I’m happy to be part of a bigger picture”.
When asking Sandra how proud she is of this achievement, Sandra said:
“Really proud! It’s always a good feeling when you are trusted by any coaching staff to perform in the way they want.
It’s a sign of belief, an aspect has been unifying us from the moment this national team was created.
Really honoured to be given the chance to show how my experience playing in Portugal and UK has strengthened our team giving us more momentum to keep growing”.
London Bees Head Coach Dan McKimm also spoke on Sandra’s place in the squad saying:
“It’s a proud moment for Sandy and something she’s worked exceptionally hard for, and she fully deserves this unbelievable opportunity and experience.
It’s also a proud moment for the for the club to have one of our players representing their nation at a major international tournament, and a great reflection on the environment, support and platform to perform that were able to offer our players”.
Looking ahead to the tournament and the new season, Sandra said:
“To my Bees, just wanted to say thank you for the support.
I’ve had staff and players showing an interest in the tournament and wanting to know how has camp been going; I really appreciate the good energy coming my (our) way.
I’m looking forward to being back on the pitch with them and getting our season started.
We’ve got a good group, and I think with the aim of simply being better than last year, we’ll give ourselves a strong chance of finishing the season where we want”.
Everyone at London Bees would like to congratulate Sandy on her selection and wish her and Cape Verde the very best of luck at the tournament!
