SAFA to retain Ellis as coach of Banyana Banyana – SABC Information

The chairman of the South African Football Association’s technical committee, Jack Maluleke, says the association wants to retain the services of Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis despite her team failing to defend their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title.

Banyana finished a disappointing fourth after losing to Ghana in the bronze medal play-off match. Ellis’s next mandate will be to qualify for next year’s WAFCON tournament, and then the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Banyana slipped into the country almost unnoticed last night following their fourth-place finish at the WAFCON tournament in Morocco.

It was in stark contrast to their departure when the defending WAFCON Champions left for North Africa in high spirits.

Banyana’s who finished top of their group, but their hopes of successfully defending their title came crashing down in the semi-final against eventual champions, Nigeria.

The defeat to Ghana in the bronze medal playoff match was another bitter pill to swallow.

When asked about her future, Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis was tight-lipped.

“I am not going to comment, I have been taken out of context on numerous occasions, and it’s best that I don’t comment on that because all over the media, what people are writing is not true, certain things are not true. So, when people write, they must get the facts right first of all; they don’t get the first right and write the wrong things, so I am not going to say anything. I am saying no comment purely on the fact that I don’t want me misquoted because I have been badly misquoted during this tournament.”

The 16th edition of the WAFCON tournament will be played next year, after the 2024 tournament was delayed for a year by the Confederation of African Football.

Morocco will host it for the third consecutive time, and Ellis is already planning for the qualifying matches in October.

“We have to prepare for a qualifier in October. I am not sure when the COSAFA Cup is because we haven’t got dates for that. Before we even talk about the WAFCON that’s going to be a very important qualifier, we saw the DRC in the group with Zambia and Morocco. Yes, they might have lost the first game 4-0, but they are a formidable team.

We played them last year in the qualifiers as well with a very young team because we didn’t have players available but as I said you will not underestimate anyone because you know these teams are growing and putting investment as you saw we have to make sure we get the squad right again, we have to make sure we do a proper analysis again like we did.”

Ellis is aware that things will not be easy going forward, with next year’s WAFCON tournament also serving as a 2027 World Cup qualifier.

“The tournament was so tight, you look at some of the games, except for one quarter-final, Algeria against Zambia, all the other games were very tight. Teams have grown, it is not just a WAFCON anymore, you know everybody wants to win it, and with next year being a World Cup qualifying tournament, it can only get bigger and better on the African continent”.

With most players in the current squad already in their 30s, Ellis will also be tasked with the rebuilding process of the senior national team.

But Banyana co-captain, Refiloe-Jane, says qualifying for next year’s WAFCON is non-negotiable.

“Well firstly we have to qualify for the next WAFCON which is around October against DRC, Congo so that’s the main objective for the team so after that we will see but firstly the main objective is to qualify for the next tournament, there’s COSAFA coming up so we hoping that with the team is going to be assembled the nation can go in the right direction”.

Banyana Banyana’s WAFCON performance review is expected to be done in early September, after which there’ll be more clarity on the way forward.

Banyana Banyana return home from WAFCON