BE CAREFUL what you wish for. . .
Desiree Ellis got her heart’s desire yesterday when SA Football Association president Danny Jordaan appointed her permanent coach of Banyana Banyana.
For 18 months Ellis has been hankering for the job, having done her apprenticeship as an assistant to Banyana ex-coach Vera Pauw, who was pushed out of the position after a dismal performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Banyana didn’t win a single game in Rio, let alone score a goal.
There was relief among football supporters when Jordaan finally announced yesterday that Ellis was no longer acting in the position, but had landed the plum job on a permanent basis.
Ellis’ wish may have been granted but the task which lies ahead for the former Banyana captain is a daunting one as she goes about pursuing qualification for the 2019 Fifa World Cup.
She now has to prove her credentials as the right woman for the job, starting with Banyana’s African Women’s Championship qualifier in June, a chance to book a spot at the 13th Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (Women’s Afcon) in Ghana from 17 November to 1 December.
They need to finish in the top three at the Women’s Afcon to qualify for next year’s World Cup in France.
Ellis has achieved success as stand-in coach, winning the 2017 Cosafa Women’s Cup in September last year, and the team was also crowned Caf 2017 Women’s Team of the Year earlier this year.
Jordaan made it clear that her targets are qualifying for the Women’s Afcon, next year’s World Cup and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan. Jordaan said: “We want to see Banyana in the top two in Africa and in order to achieve that we have to reach the final of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana.”
“The path is clear, finish in the top three at Afcon, qualify for the World Cup and Olympics.”
Ellis admitted she feels immense pressure to deliver what the nation wants: “I have been given the task and it’s not negotiable – we have to do it for women’s football.
“You already get pressure when you are in charge of the national team, and the Under-17s’ qualification for the World Cup has raised the pressure level a bit.
“But we have confident group of players and share the same goal: Qualifying for Afcon and the World Cup.”
Banyana will leave the country for Cyprus today, where they will compete in the 2018 Cyprus Women’s Cup against Hungary, Slovakia, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The tournament runs from 28 February until 8 March. Banyana face Slovakia in their opening match on Wednesday.
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