Ellis expects tougher test from Zambia in Banyana's second Wafcon warm-up
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis is expecting Zambia to provide a tougher test for them when they meet in the final match of the Three Nations Series at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Tuesday.
Banyana started the series with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Botswana in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, on Wednesday afternoon and Ellis said her team will likely to have to improve to beat the Copper Queens.
'No disrespect to Botswana but Zambia have a lot more quality and they bring different types of dynamics to us,' she said.
'Defensively we have to be better because their front line is good and if you make mistakes at the back, they are going to punish you. From our side, when we get opportunities, we have to put them away.
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IOL News
29 minutes ago
- IOL News
Banyana camp dispute suggests SAFA still don't take women's football seriously
Taken for granted Banyana Banyana players are taken through their paces as they prepare for the upcoming Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix Image: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix The latest news coming out of the Banyana Banyana camp as they prepare to defend their Women's Africa Cup of Nations title is concerning, and fingers should once again be pointed at the South African Football Association. According to reports, the players boycotted a number of training sessions during the week as they had some outstanding payments. It's something that's not new in South African football. Prior to the previous tournament, in Morocco like this year's one, the players went on strike to let SAFA know they were not happy with the bonuses they would be getting for being at the competition. It was an ugly saga that never should have happened. To their credit, the team rose above the storm and came back home with the trophy. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading One would think that SAFA would have learned lessons from back then and made sure that preparations for this year's tournament would go on without any major issues. But that's a bit of a stretch. Addressing the situation, SAFA vice-president Linda Zwane said they had dealt with it 'swiftly.' 'It was made known to us. It's a minor issue. The payments of the previous games that they played, particularly the Malawi game, which the association had undertaken to address – that particular matter. 'So, there is an agreement that has been reached with the team through their captain [Refiloe Jane]. As far as we are concerned, that particular matter is now buried. The association has made commitments to address that, making sure that players continue with preparations.' That things got this far suggests SAFA care very little about the women's game. There is also the issue with head coach Desiree Ellis' contract, which has yet to be renewed after expiring in 2024. SAFA say 'the contract is in place but awaits guidance from the technical committee on a reappointment.' Surely this is something that should have been dealt with last year when they knew her contract would be up soon. It's hard to shake the feeling that Banyana Banyana's success is being taken for granted. The players have proven time and again that they can rise above adversity, but they shouldn't have to. If SAFA are serious about progress and pride in the women's game, then it must start treating these champions with the respect, planning, and professionalism they've more than earned. Anything less sends a clear message – that even triumph on the continental stage isn't enough to earn the basic dignity of proper support. South African football cannot continue to rely on the resilience of its women while failing them behind the scenes. IOL Sport * The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media. ** JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Send us an email with your comments, thoughts or responses to iolletters@ Letters should be a maximum of 500 words, and may be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Submissions should include a contact number and physical address (not for publication). Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
Daily Maverick
3 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
‘One day at a time' — Banyana Banyana sharpen focus on journey to defend Wafcon title
Desiree Ellis's team is targeting a historic Women's Africa Cup of Nations title defence on Moroccan soil after lifting the trophy in 2022. Banyana Banyana are in uncharted territory. For the first time they are heading to a major tournament as defending champions. It is pressure with which the South Africans are not acquainted, but they are embracing it as they continue to carve out a path for future generations. Banyana Banyana won the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), the first time they were crowned champions of Africa despite being one of the best teams on the continent for an extended period. With this hurdle cleared, the team is aiming to create more history. In the more than three-decade history of the Wafcon, Banyana became just the third team to win the tournament three years ago, following in the footsteps of Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea. The Nigerians won the first seven editions of the continental showpiece before Equatorial Guinea snapped this dominance in 2008. Then Nigeria won it again two years later, before Equatorial Guinea triumphed for a second time in 2012. After that it was Nigerian dominance once more until South Africa snapped the monotony. If Banyana Banyana win this year's Morocco-hosted spectacle, they will join the two nations as multi-African champions. Flying start This all starts on Monday, 7 July when the defending champions take on Ghana in their opening group C game. They will then tussle with Tanzania four days later, before closing off the group campaign with a battle against Mali on 14 July. 'We are going to take it one day at a time. If we think too far ahead, we will lose focus on what's at hand. So, we will put everything towards that first game to make sure we get a positive result. Then we'll go to the next one and the next one,' said Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis. 'We have told the players that, yes, we are the defending champions. But we also said that we are contenders, like everybody else. Everyone going to this tournament has an ambition to win it and we are no different.' 'It's a difficult group because no team is easy to play,' said Banyana Banyana captain Refiloe Jane, 'especially on the African continent. We are hoping that in the first game against Ghana we can set the tone [for the rest of the tournament]. Then we will take one game at a time.' Ellis added: 'We are under no illusions about the target on our back. But the experience of having been there and knowing how to get over that hurdle will [stand] us in good stead, even though it's a newish squad.' Thembi Kgatlana's absence Experienced players such as midfield maestros Jane and Linda Motlhalo, defender Bambanani Mbane, goalkeepers Andile Dlamini and Kaylin Swart, as well as forwards Jermaine Seoposenwe and Hildah Magaia, will be the bedrock of the team. Seoposenwe (who will retire from international soccer at the end of Wafcon) and Magaia will be particularly crucial in the absence of fellow sharpshooter Thembi Kgatlana. The former African footballer of the year has excused herself from national duty for 'personal reasons'. 'We know the capabilities of Thembi and what she offers to the team. It's going to be a big loss for the team. But we also have other players who have to step up and try to do well in that position. We have to go out there and play as a team, to fight for each other to hopefully retain the trophy,' Jane said. Despite the setback of losing Kgatlana, the South Africans are confident that the team will be able to navigate the demands of the tournament all the way to the final again. They are also hopeful that they can deliver another Wafcon triumph to send off Seoposenwe on a winning note. 'We have seen Jermaine out in Mexico and what she's done. We have seen what she's done for the national team and she's currently in good scoring form. Hopefully she can keep that form [at the Wafcon]. But a big thank you to Jermaine. She's always come in and given her best, raising the level. Hopefully we can give her a good sendoff,' said Ellis. Fresh faces Although they have stagnated in recent years, 11-time African champions Nigeria remain the biggest threat to Banyana Banyana's ambitions. Morocco – who South Africa vanquished 2-1 in the final to clinch a maiden continental title three years ago – can't be underestimated either. The same is true for Zambia, who earned a bronze medal at the previous Wafcon instalment. Kgatlana's absence has opened up a spot for the young players in the Banyana Banyana fold. Teenagers such as JVW's Bonolo Mokoma and zippy winger Adrielle Mibe will be hungry to show what they can do in the absence of one of the continent's most lethal strikers. Another new face in the team is the University of the Western Cape's Ronnel Donnelly. The 21-year-old striker has undoubtedly been included for physical presence against robust defenders. Young goalkeeper Casey Gordon and striker Nthabiseng Majiya will not travel with the squad, but will be on standby. 'I had conversations with them when they came to camp and some of them were extremely nervous,' said Ellis of the fresh faces in the team. 'I told them that we selected them based on what we see and we don't want them to do anything different. But we want them to take what we've seen to the next level.' With African nations focusing more and more on women's soccer, this edition of the Wafcon (5 to 26 July) promises to increase the competitiveness seen in previous editions. All 12 participating teams are hungry to showcase their growth from the past few years. DM This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
Daily Maverick
3 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Safa drops the ball again as Banyana Banyana squad downs tools over unpaid dues
Defending African champions Banyana Banyana went on a brief strike after a couple of days after touching down in Morocco over unpaid match fees. The South African Football Association says the matter has been resolved and the players are back in training. It is unfortunate yet unsurprising that Banyana Banyana have once again butted heads with the South African Football Association (Safa) ahead of participation in a major tournament. On Saturday, 28 June, SABC Sport reported that the Banyana Banyana players had downed tools in Morocco, over a financial stand-off with Safa. The disagreement stems from unpaid match fees by Safa after the team played preparation friendlies ahead of their Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) title defence in the continental competition, which kicks off on 5 July. South Africa's senior women's soccer side faced Malawi in a double-header back in April. More recently, the team tussled against Botswana and Zambia as part of fine-tuning their performances for a challenging defence of the Wafcon title they won in 2022. Sit-in protest Displeased with how they have been treated by Safa in the build-up to the tournament, the players (who arrived in Morocco on Wednesday) resorted to staging a sit-in. They boycotted training with the hopes of capturing the attention of the Safa hierarchy. The extreme action has worked. Speaking to journalists following the conclusion of Safa's ordinary congress in Sandton on Saturday, the federation's vice-president, Linda Zwane, labelled the incident a 'minor issue' and said it has been resolved. 'It's a minor issue. It's an issue of the payments of the previous games they played, particularly the Malawi games. The association then undertook to address that particular matter and there's agreement that has been reached with the team, through their captain,' Zwane stated. 'As far as we're concerned that particular matter is now buried and the association has made a commitment towards [paying the players], making sure that players continue with their preparations. We want them to perform very well in the tournament and the reports we are getting is that the team is back in training,' the vice-president said. Failing finances Of course, Safa's current financial woes are well documented, having shot to the centre of the public eye in December 2024 when the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture gave the South African soccer governing body an advance of R5-million. This was from the annual government grant the association receives. This advance has not helped Safa much though, as reports of delayed salary payments at their Nasrec headquarters have been a regular feature in the news. At the beginning of June, Safa appeared before the parliamentary oversight committee for sport, arts and culture. During this appearance the federation painted a grim picture of its finances, with Safa's chief financial officer, Gronie Hluyo, telling the committee members that the association's current liabilities exceed its assets by R141-million. Hluyo said the reasons for this deficit included the adoption of gender parity policies for the senior teams, Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana. He said that despite this commitment from Safa, the limited sponsors approaching them were primarily interested in backing the men's team. Hluyo stands accused of fraud within Safa, alongside the federation's president, Danny Jordaan, and public relations company boss Trevor Neethling. The chief of finance told Parliament that Safa's cash flow struggles were also due to the organisation battling to attract sponsors owing to regular negative publicity surrounding it. Also addressing the media after the conclusion of the Safa congress, CEO Lydia Monyepao alluded to Safa's dire finances being the reason for the outstanding payments to players. 'The disagreement arose in terms of the payment dates with regards to the bonuses. We have since addressed that matter; we know that we have a commitment to the players in terms of after a friendly match, we give [them their money after] 30 days. But us as a federation, where we are right now in terms of financial performance, was covered extensively in the congress,' Monyepao said. History repeats itself This is the second successive major tournament where the Banyana Banyana players have been forced to confront Safa for not valuing them enough. Ahead of their historic run to the 2023 World Cup's round of 16, the team clashed with the federation over a number of issues. Those included the poor-quality stadium at which the African champions were expected to play. The players raised their concerns about this and the high risk of injury posed by playing at Tsakane Stadium – particularly before the World Cup. There was also a financial factor in that pre-World Cup stand-off. It took the Motsepe Foundation's intervention and the organisation's financial gift of about R6-million to Safa to ease the tensions. At the time, the Safa hierarchy said it had learnt its lesson about sorting out such issues timeously and said a similar stand-off would not occur in the future. Yet here we are. It's unnecessary chaos at a time when the team's focus should be on polishing tactics and strengthening team chemistry. Banyana Banyana's Wafcon group features some competitive sides – Ghana, Mali and Tanzania. Their full focus and energy are required for this quest. DM
