Desiree Ellis remains committed to Banyana Banyana despite Wafcon struggles
Banyana are set to finish fourth at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations finals which is set to conclude Sunday night after relinquishing their crown.
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis says she'll continue to 'trust the process' as her team turns over a new chapter after an underwhelming continental outing.
After getting out of the group stage comfortably, they were not convincing in the knockout stage as they beat Senegal on penalties in the quarter–final and lost 2-1 to arch-rivals Nigeria in the semi-final.
Banyana were not at their best in the third/fourth place play-offs either as they lost to Ghana 4-3 on penalties after the match ended 1-1 in regulation time Friday night.
Their shortcomings in the crucial stages of the tournament somewhat hinted at the toll the team took prior to the tournament following another bonus row with Safa.
Ellis said they were at the tournament to win it during her post-match press conference at Stade El Arbi Zaouli in Casablanca though.
'Everyone that goes to a tournament has the ambition of winning it - Nigeria have been the only country that has defended it, though they didn't at times,' Ellis said.
'Equatorial Guinea won it twice, but we didn't get there - but it was so, so close. I think what happened there (against Nigeria) took a lot out of the players.
'We knew that we were going to play in the play-offs match, but we unfortunately didn't do well today.'
Banyana's shortcomings in Morocco have seen some members of the football fraternity call for Ellis to be released, citing that she's out of sorts.
This is due to the fact that the team needs a new direction and strategy given that some key players have already called time on their international careers, while others are close to.
Jermaine Seoposenwe retired from international football after Wafcon, saying she's taking care of her well-being, while Thembi Kgatlana withdrew from being considered for the event, citing personal reasons.
Ellis, though, insists that she's still the right coach to usher Banyana to a new era having been the brains behind Banyana's first qualification for the World Cup in 2019 and triumph at Wafcon in 2022.
'I have been with the team since 2014 as an assistant, 2016 as an acting coach and 2018 as the head coach - so it's a process,' Ellis reflected.
'Unfortunately, the process is always to win. That is the thing with fans, they don't see the bigger picture. So, we trust the process.
'We are also a team in transition. We trust the process, but fans don't trust the process - all they want is results.
'They don't see what you are doing and how the team is evolving, they don't see those things. When you are in the national team, fans want results.'
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Next Stay Close ✕ 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 semi-final. So, where to go for Ellis? Will she resolve her contractual issues with Safa and stay put to ensure the team qualifies for the 2027 World Cup through next year's WAFCON? 'No comment!' said Ellis during her post-match press conference on Friday following the 4-3 loss to Ghana on penalties after the match ended 1-1 in regulation time. 'Because whatever it is that I am going to say right now, it's going to be taken out of context anyway. So, I'd rather say 'no comment'.' 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So, as Ellis tries to map the way forward she knows that she has to usher in a new era, and integrate some new players into the team. There were glimpses of a new dawn at WAFCON as Ronnel Donnelly made her international debut and got to share the pitch with her now retired idol Jermaine Seoposenwe. Ellis, though, stresses that the failure of the junior national teams to qualify for major tournaments is what will hinder their progress going forward. 'Like we said, the continent is like a gold-mine, so everyone has got to step up because there are a lot of investments,' Ellis explained. 'You have seen the investments in the other countries. We need to step up or we are going to be left behind. We have the talent, but our youth teams need to qualify for tournaments. 'So, that's the experience that other countries get - when the youth teams go to these tournaments. Ghana, Tanzania, and Nigeria have been doing it. 'Nigeria have been doing it at every level. So, when you see those players coming through with that experience (it becomes very crucial).'
