Desiree Ellis Speaks on Her Future As Banyana Banyana Coach After WAFCON Disappointment

• Desiree Ellis has broken her silence on her future as Banyana Banyana coach after their disappointing run at the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco
• The South African Women's national team finished fourth in the competition after losing to Ghana in the third-place playoff on Friday evening
• The SA tactician has been tipped to be replaced by a new manager after their poor performance in this WAFCON edition

Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis has come out to address her future as South African Women's national team coach after the team's disappointing performance at the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Banyana Banyana headed into the competition as defending champions but missed out on the final after losing to Nigeria in the semi-finals of the competition. They ended up finishing fourth after losing in the third-place playoff against Ghana.

There were talks about bringing in a new coach in place of Ellis, with Simphiwe Dludlu tipped to replace her.

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Ellis speaks on her future as Banyana coach

Ellis, in an interview after Ghana's match, shared her thoughts about her future as Banyana Banyana coach after failing to meet expectations in this year's competition.

"Everyone enters a tournament aiming to win it," said Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis. "Nigeria has been the only team to successfully defend the title, though not always consistently. Equatorial Guinea also won it twice. As for us, we came very close, but couldn’t quite get there. I think that match against Nigeria really took a lot out of the players.

"We knew we’d be playing in the third-place playoff, but unfortunately, we didn’t perform well today."

Despite the recent WAFCON setback, Ellis remains confident in her ability to lead the team into a new chapter, having been instrumental in Banyana’s historic World Cup qualification in 2019 and their WAFCON triumph in 2022.

"I’ve been part of this team since 2014, first as an assistant, then as an acting coach in 2016, and head coach from 2018. It’s been a journey. But the reality is, the expectation is always to win," she said.

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"That’s the challenge, fans don’t always see the bigger picture. We’re in a transitional phase, and while we trust the process, fans want immediate results. They don’t always see the work being done or how the team is evolving."

Looking ahead, Ellis emphasised that they remain committed to rebuilding and improving Banyana Banyana, especially with the next WAFCON also serving as qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

"We’re going to stick to what we believe is best for the team," she added. "We won’t compromise our identity, our work, or the process. In 2019, we qualified for the World Cup, but then lost to Botswana in the next round of qualifiers. We took that loss, learned from it, and built on it. We went to the Aisha Buhari Cup, WAFCON, and then another World Cup. It’s a long-term journey, and we believe in it.

"I know some people are calling for my head," Ellis concluded. "But that’s the reality of coaching. When the team succeeds, everyone shares the credit. When it doesn’t, the coach stands alone under the spotlight."

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How much Banyana Banyana earned at WAFCON

Briefly News earlier reported that Banyana Banyana earned a significant amount of money after finishing fourth at the 2024 WAFCON in Morocco.

Ellis' team missed out on podium finish but they didn't come back home empty handed.

Source: Briefly News