Head coach of the Sasol-sponsored Banyana Banyana, Desiree Ellis, quickly wanted to put aside the events of Thursday night (21 July) when she won the CAF Women’s Coach of the Year award to resume focus on one of the most important matches for her and her charges.
Ellis scooped the award for the third time in a row, beating off a strong challenge of compatriot Jerry Tshabalala Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies, Bruce Mwape of Zambia, and Nigeria’s Randy Waldrum.
She took the title in 2018, 2019 and 2022.
But she has set her sights on crucial final against host nation Morocco in the 2022 TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place on Saturday at the Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat.
Kickoff is at 22h00 South African time.
The winner will be crowned Queens of the African continent.
Ellis spoke to www.safa.net from their base camp in Morocco.
SAFA.net: Coach, how are you feeling following the victory at the awards last night?
Desiree Ellis: Look, we have a very important game coming up and I didn’t really want to go (to the awards) but the team wanted me to go. I trust the people I work with, and they took over the training session, which went magnificent while I went there to represent them. Back to your question, this is an individual award, but it’s also not an individual award because we play in a team sport and this would not have been possible without the team, the staff of Banyana Banyana, this would not have been possible without the coaches that coach in women’s football, it would not have been possible without the fans back home who continue to give us amazing support, this would not have been possible without support of SAFA and Sasol, so it’s an award that I received on behalf of everyone.
SAFA.net: Your thoughts ahead of the clash with Morocco?
Desiree Ellis: A friend and former colleague reminded me this morning about events of 2016 when we went to Equatorial Guinea where things did not go our way before the match. He reminded me that when we came out on match day, we just saw a sea of red and we won that game one nil – the players were so focused on the day, and when I look at them now, I see that focus and they are happy and united, they want this badly. In my talk to them I thanked them for qualifying us for the World Cup and now it’s their day in the final to shine, it’s their day to go out there and enjoy themselves and bring back the trophy. They might not be able to hear us through all the noise and everything else, but I have full confidence that they will go out and they will give everything they have to bring their trophy back to South Africa.
SAFA.net: It’s been over a month in camp (43 days) how have you maintained the spirits high among the players and staff – even the players have said this is the most united camp ever.
Desiree Ellis: Let’s also not forget the in the mental coach that is travelling with us, she has done a lot of work, and not just with the players but with us as a group as well because you know it can be long and tiring, but we know why we’re here. We are not just here to represent ourselves, we’re here to represent our country, we’re here to carry and hold the flag up high. And the way we’ve structured everything we have a happy group, we have an excited group, we have a group that’s looking forward to tomorrow. Everything that we’ve done over the last couple of months when it started back when we started our qualification was all about this one day – getting to the final and winning the final. We know it’s not going be easy, Morocco was magnificent in the victory against Nigeria, but I take my hat off to Nigeria they were not multiple champions for nothing – to play for so long with nine players and almost win it at the end shows what a great team they are. It’s going to take that effort to wrestle that trophy for the first time, and we want to let South Africans know that we will give everything that we have. In 2018 we were close, but I think we are even closer, and we will do everything that we have to bring that trophy home.
SAFA.net: Speaking of 2018, any differences between then and now in terms of preparations for the final?
Desiree Ellis: Look, back then we had to travel to play our last group match and then had to travel back to play the semifinal then travel back to Accra to play the final so this travelling we are doing now is nothing new. But the weather is much different from where we come from – back then it was out in November, which was hot in South Africa and not in Ghana, now it’s cold in South Africa and we are having temperatures of over 30 in Morocco, so it’s been tough where that is concerned, but I think the players have acclimatized well, I don’t think that will disturb them. I think they are so focused they just want to get onto the field and try to bring trophy back. This is the moment they’ve been waiting for – for many it’s four years or later, others have matured. Many have wanted this so bad, but we’ve got to go onto that feeling, we’ve got to make sure that we get the job done.
source: SAFA.net
