Ellis outlines Banyana’s path to recovery after letdown

THE future of Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis might be uncertain, but she has detailed what the team needs to do to improve going forward.

- MIHLALI BALEKA.

Banyana had a poor outing at the recently concluded Women’s Africa Cup of Nations as they relinquished their title and finished fourth.

Consequently, this put Ellis’ future with the team in serious jeopardy, especially given allegations that she had been working without a contract since 2022. Ellis started working with the national teams eleven years ago when she served as Vera Pauw’s assistant coach in 2014. She then temporarily took over the reins from Pauw in 2016 before she was finally appointed as the head coach in 2018 to date.

During her stint, the 62-year-old has achieved the improbable, including winning Banyana’s maiden WAFCON and qualifying for back-to-back World Cups. However, she was unable to defend the crown in Morocco recently due to an underwhelming performance, including losing to eventual champions Nigeria in the semifinal.

So, where to go for Ellis?