It’s the last remaining box for Desiree Ellis to tick – holding the Wafcon trophy aloft as the head coach of Banyana Banyana.
Desiree Ellis’ second coming at Banyana Banyana has allowed her to achieve a number of things she couldn’t as a player. As an assistant coach to Dutch mentor Vera Pauw, Ellis became an Olympian when South Africa’s senior women’s national team qualified for the 2016 Olympics Games in Brazil.
Three years after that, now as head coach, Ellis led the side at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France in the country’s first appearance in the global showpiece. These two achievements were something Ellis could only dream about when she was a Banyana Banyana player after joining the team at the late age of 30 in 1993.
Ellis’ dreams of representing her country were put on hold by the brutality of apartheid which forced the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and world football governing body FIFA, to kick South Africa out of international football. This meant a generation of South African footballers couldn’t showcase their talent on the world stage.
So, when South Africa was readmitted to international football in 1992, Ellis wasn’t going to let this dream pass by, despite age not being on her side. She went for trials and became part of the country’s first senior women’s team which thumped Swaziland, now called eSwatini, 13-0.
Nigeria, however, were an immovable object on Ellis’ bigger ambitions. The Super Falcons denied Banyana Banyana passage to the 1995 World Cup. This was the start of Nigeria’s dominance over South Africa. Ellis, first as a player then a dedicated spectator and eventually coach, could only watch helplessly as Nigeria time and time again stunned Banyana Banyana on the world stage.
Becoming African champions for the first time
But those days are long gone. Banyana are now regulars in major international tournaments and the Super Falcons no longer have an air of invincibility when they face Banyana.
Banyana showed that when they easily dispatched Nigeria in their opening match of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) underway in Morocco. The 2-1 win is actually flattering to Nigeria. Banyana should have scored more than just the two goals from Jermaine Seoposenwe and Hildah Magaia. Banyana clipped the wings of the Super Falcons and made the African powerhouse look ordinary. Thembi Kgatlana was menacing with her pace while Linda Motlhalo opened them up with ease.
This game was a repeat of Banyana’s start to the 2018 Wafcon campaign in Ghana. Banyana beat Nigeria in the opening Group B match. They then went all the way to the final where they met the same Super Falcons. By then they had qualified for their first World Cup, which was their main target. When they couldn’t wrap up that run with their first continental title it wasn’t a train smash – a place in the World Cup was secured. Nigeria reminded Banyana that they are the undisputed champions, winning their 11th Wafcon title in 13 editions of the tournament.
All that glitters can turn to gold
While Nigeria have been dominant, Banyana have been perennial bridesmaids. Their loss in the final was the fifth time they picked up silver from the competition – and three of those defeats have been at the hands of Nigeria. But this year, there is a strong belief in camp that Banyana will finally become African champions.
The team has a strong balance between youth and experience. Seoposenwe, Kgatlana, Refiloe Jane, Noko Matlou, Janine van Wyk, Andile Dlamini and Motlhalo have seen it all. They bring valuable experience. And, of the seven, only Dlamini hasn’t played professional football overseas. But even though Dlamini hasn’t played abroad, she is the only one in this group who has had the honour of being an African champion. Dlamini was part of the Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies that won the inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League.
This blend of experience gained in European leagues and grit from Africa’s club competition and numerous near misses in the Wafcon makes Banyana a formidable side.
The expanded Wafcon, with 12 teams for the first time, means that there are a number of potential banana peels for Banyana on the way to continental glory. One of those is Botswana, a growing force in Southern African football who denied Banyana a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics. That failure, however, strengthened Banyana and made sure they don’t take any opponent for granted.
A stepping stone to the 2023 World Cup
With a place in the 2023 World Cup up for grabs for the finalists, qualifying for the tournament that will be staged in Australia and New Zealand is a minimum requirement for this Banyana side. The main aim is to return from Morocco with the trophy.
What will help them achieve that is the large number of players based overseas. In the starting XI that beat Nigeria, only three players – Dlamini, Noxolo Cesane (both Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies) and Sibulele Holweni (University of the Western Cape) – were players based in the country. But they are no slouches. Dlamini is an African champion. Cesane is a star of the future who has played international football at every level with the national team. Holweni, who featured in the Under-17 World Cup and the 2019 World Cup, has plenty of experience and pedigree.
Ellis is spoilt for choice when it comes to quality and the ability to handle tournament football pressure. This is the best chance Banyana have of winning the tournament since the 2012 Wafcon in Equatorial Guinea where they were carried by the euphoria of their first Olympics appearance. They lost to the hosts in a crushing blow.
This time around, that’s unlike to happen as the side has a strong chance of winning the tournament. If they do, Ellis would tick one last remaining box of things she couldn’t achieve as a player but is doing as a coach. She has already made the Cosafa region her fiefdom, winning the Cosafa Women’s Championship in four of the last five editions.
If they build on their start, those Cosafa titles will be joined by the Wafcon in the Safa House trophy cabinet. For their effort, players would get to share almost R10 million.
We’re betting our Banyana Banyana superstars will bring the Wafcon home – and head on to even greater things. They have the skills and the talent. They have the desire. And they have the Desiree Ellis to guide them.