Banyana Banyana Coach Disari Ellis Confident in Recovery After WAFCON Defeat

Andile Dlamini, one of the key players for the Banyana Banyana team, recently cried after receiving another well-deserved call-up to the national squad. This moment served as a reminder of the team's difficult journey and achievements.

Team Achievements and Challenges

Banyana Banyana has achieved unprecedented success in recent years: the team qualified for its first World Cup in 2019, won the Africa Women's Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in 2022, qualified for the 2023 World Cup, and reached the playoffs in the last two tournaments. These successes have made the team pioneers at the national team level.

Despite South Africa celebrating successes at continental and global levels, it is important to remember that the women's team paved the way. Banyana's achievements are particularly commendable because they conquered Africa with fewer resources and support than their male counterparts.

Administrative Issues

When the team was preparing for the 2023 World Cup, they went on strike due to unpaid bonuses from the South African Football Association (SAFA). The situation required intervention from corporate sponsors and political figures to be resolved. Despite the chaos, the team showed outstanding results, becoming the first South African national team to reach the playoffs.

However, administrative difficulties continued. Upon arriving in Rabat for the subsequent WAFCON, the team missed important training sessions, protesting against the association over unresolved tournament bonus issues. These disturbances had a psychological impact, and the team performed disappointingly at the major tournament, finishing fourth after losing the third-place match.

Preparation for the Upcoming Tournament

Currently, while preparing for the trip to Morocco, the team, through coach Desiré Ellis, remains calm, demonstrating cohesion and improved understanding with the association. The sixty-three-year-old coach confirmed to the media that 'I believe they are playing by the rules' and 'I believe everything will be sorted out.'

Ellis is keen on ideal coordination between her team and SAFA, as in case of administrative chaos, the burden falls on her and the senior players. Veteran forward Hilda Maga supported this, stating: 'Everything is settled, and things are going well.'

One recent sign of this new institutional focus has been the inclusion of a sports psychologist in the camp. This is a vital addition for the technical team, given that players face everyday human difficulties outside of football. The local football community was recently reminded of the fragility of mental health following the tragic death of midfielder Jayden Adams, and Banyana is consciously creating a stable environment to prevent such vulnerabilities.

The return of Robin Mudali-Salgado to the squad after a break for mental health recovery was also supported by this positive atmosphere. Ultimately, Dlamini's emotional reaction to the recent call-up was deeply moving, serving as a vivid example of what it means to represent the country on a big stage.

The Banyana Banyana team is actively preparing for its return to the Wafcon tournament with the goal of winning the continental trophy, which they won in Morocco in 2022.

Goals for the upcoming tournament

Before the start of Wafcon 2026 in Morocco, the team has a clear objective: to secure a spot in the top four of the competition to qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027, which will be held in Brazil. However, coach Disari Ellis admits that achieving this goal will not be easy.

Previous experience and pressure

Banyana Banyana will return to Morocco at the end of this month, striving to make up for lost time. In the previous tournament, the team showed a disappointing result, losing the title to their fierce rivals from Nigeria and finishing fourth overall. This result cast doubt on Ellis's future, especially after forward Jermaine Seoposenwe publicly criticized the coach for failing to protect the squad from administrative shortcomings by SAFA, particularly concerning player bonuses before major events.

Contract confirmation and strategy

Nevertheless, Ellis managed to overcome this turbulence and extend her contract. Given the lengthy negotiations regarding the new agreement, she enters the tournament with a strict mandate: to return to the Wafcon podium and secure her place in the next global event. During a press day at the AW Muller Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, Ellis emphasized that all team players are unanimously focused before departure.

Ellis stated: 'We had a meeting with the group and senior players, as we always do. They know what is at stake.' She added that she spoke with many players, and they all say the same thing: 'qualifying for the World Cup is the ultimate goal.' She also noted that past experience helps, and for other players, it will be their first time, so they need to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Squad and match preparation

Ellis has formed a preliminary squad of 31 players, combining youth and experienced athletes, which will be reduced to 26 people before leaving for Morocco on Saturday. The coach expects every player to meet expectations. In 16 days, 16 countries will fight for African glory.

Speaking about the pressure, Ellis added: 'It is always hard to tell someone what to expect when you cannot predict how they will react to pressure. But we always preach the idea of how important it is to rise to a new level. Ultimately, 11 people take the field, but the entire squad must be ready to contribute.'

Familiarization with Moroccan conditions

This trip marks Banyana's third participation in Wafcon in Morocco, following a victorious debut in 2022 and a poor performance last year. Thanks to this familiarity, Ellis hopes her team will easily adapt to the local conditions. She clarified that although they are not staying in the same locations as before (first time - Oudjda, second - Rabat, and now the base is in Casablanca), Morocco remains Morocco, just as South Africa is South Africa. The team is accustomed to the environment, knows it will be hot and conditions will be tough, but they are planning for it, so the departure is scheduled for Saturday to give them enough time to acclimatize.

Group opponents analysis

Banyana desperately seeks to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, building on their debut in 2019 and successful playoff run in 2023. However, before looking towards Brazil, they must pass the Wafcon group stage and win the decisive quarter-final match. Ellis studied their group opponents: Tanzania, Burkina Faso, and Côte d'Ivoire.

The coach analyzed the opponents, noting that Tanzania will likely want to play football, while Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire are very physical teams. She added that they have played against physical teams a lot over the past year, both at Wafcon and during qualifiers. The team knows that opponents will try to use long balls, and they are training intensively to counter this. Ellis concluded that despite all the preparation, football comes down to execution on match day. She reminded them that they always said that if they kept a 'clean sheet' (did not concede a goal), they would create chances, and now they need to be clinical in front of goal when those opportunities arise.

The head coach of the Banyana Banyana national team, Disari Ellis, welcomed the return of Robin Mudali-Salgado to the squad. She expressed satisfaction that the midfielder has reached a state where she feels psychologically ready to return to international matches.

Player's Return to the Squad

Mudali-Salgado was spotted at a Banyana open training session at the AW Muller stadium on Wednesday afternoon. Her appearance came after she was included in the preliminary list of 31 players for the upcoming Wafcon tournament later this month.

The midfielder returned to the national team after announcing a temporary break from international play at the end of 2023. At that time, she decided to take a pause to focus on her mental health while continuing to play for her club JVW Ladies in the Hollywoodbets Super League championship.

Coach's Comments on the Return

Ellis commented on her return, stating: 'I do not want to go into detail about it. I do not want to talk about one specific player, but I am happy that she is back.' She clarified that, as far as she knows, the player did not retire but simply stepped away from international football to focus on her mental well-being.

Mental Health Priority in the Team

The Safa national team is paying more attention to mental health, especially following the tragic death of Bafana Bafana midfielder Jayden Adams, who reportedly died by suicide due to depression. To raise awareness about mental health, Safa hired a mental coach for Banyana before the tournament—a move that Ellis greatly appreciated.

Ellis reported that there is a coach in the camp assisting with psychological aspects and added that she herself benefits from the support of a personal coach. She emphasized that football is not an easy sport, and the team ensures everyone feels well. 'We are dealing not only with footballers but first and foremost with people. I think people forget that before we became athletes, we were human beings. We have the same problems as everyone else.'

Next Steps and Tournament

It will be decided whether Mudali-Salgado will be included in the final squad when Ellis announces the 26-player roster that will represent Banyana at the Wafcon finals in Morocco.