Banyana’s Wafcon defence back on track as Desiree Ellis leaves Super League chaos behind

With the Hollywoodbets Super League season in a state of uncertainty, Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis is relieved to finally put the league disruptions behind her as she shifts her focus to the upcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) title defence. 

The squad are now turning their attention to two international friendlies against Malawi, which will take place on Saturday and next Tuesday at the UJ Soweto Campus.

These matches are seen as key to preparing for the Wafcon tournament in Morocco in July.

“I was very concerned because coming off an off-season and club preparing really well (according to the coaches) and for most players, the season didn’t start as normal, and they didn’t know what to do,” Ellis explained on Thursday.

“You’ve done your pre-season, and now what do you do?

“You look at the likes of Bambanani (Mbane) and Refiloe (Jane), who have been out with long-term injuries, but now get an opportunity to play.

“Hopefully over the next months, we see the levels raised again.”

With just over three months until the start of the Wafcon, Ellis is looking forward to fine-tuning her squad’s tactics in the Malawi friendlies, helping them find their rhythm after a challenging start to the domestic season. 

The Super League had been disrupted by several postponements due to an ongoing standoff between Safa and the league’s title sponsor.

As a result, only a few matches have been played so far.

Despite these challenges, Ellis has named a squad of 12 players from five Safa Women’s Super League clubs, including players from champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies (four), JVW FC (four), University of the Western Cape (two), and one player each from University of Johannesburg and Queens.

While the squad have faced some disruptions due to the delayed league season, Ellis remains optimistic about the upcoming matches, and the chance to build on the team’s fitness and chemistry before the major competition later this year.

The road to Wafcon might have started with some bumps, but with the league chaos largely behind them, Ellis and her team are now solely focused on defending their continental title. The friendlies against Malawi are a crucial step in that process.

This latest camp also includes various fresh faces who were part of the younger group that played back-to-back friendlies against Botswana in recent weeks. 

Ellis is eager to pair these players with the experienced Thembi Kgatlana, Jermaine Seoposenwe and others.

“We had that camp against Lesotho because we wanted to look at players and make the core group bigger,” she said.

“So, we wanted to make sure that the players that did well in that camp are blended with the more experienced ones in this camp. 

“We did this because we had injuries around November last year, so we don't want to be scrambling again for players.

“Also, the squad for Wafcon is not selected, so this is also an opportunity for them to try and force themselves in here.”