Desiree Ellis hits back at critics calling for Banyana Banyana senior players to be axed after WAFCON disappointment

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has defended her experienced players following South Africa’s disappointing WAFCON campaign, rejecting calls for a major overhaul of the squad in favour of younger talent.

South Africa entered the tournament in Morocco as defending champions after winning their maiden WAFCON title in 2022. However, their campaign ended in the quarterfinals after a 2-1 defeat to the hosts in Rabat, raising fresh questions about the age profile of the squad.

Sixteen players from the 2022 championship-winning team were part of the squad in Morocco, prompting criticism that South Africa should have begun rebuilding earlier.

Ellis, however, believes the senior members of the team continue to contribute and insists experience remains a crucial asset.

“People always look at people’s ages and think that’s it. I think Noko [Matlou, who played a big role in Banyana’s Wafcon triumph in 2022] played until the age of 39,” Ellis insisted.

“If I were to listen to people saying ‘she’s old, she must go’ where would we be now? If you look at the experienced players in the team, they still do the job. Look, there’s something that you cannot buy and that’s experience.”

Ellis insists youth development is already underway

While defending the veterans, Ellis also pointed out that Banyana have younger players being gradually introduced into the national team.

The coach explained that South Africa’s approach is to integrate emerging players carefully rather than expose them prematurely to the intense scrutiny that comes with international football.

“We are of the opinion that we always blood new young players slowly rather than just throw them in. You throw them in, they have a bad game, the media turns it around and says we should have protected them, so we’ve got to strike that balance,” said Ellis.

“Isabella [Ludwig] is 23, Ronnel [Donnelly] is 21, Lonathemba [Mhlongo] is 24, so we do have young players in our squad that we are blooding in slowly.”

Ellis also dismissed the tendency to judge the squad’s age based solely on results, arguing that perceptions can change quickly depending on whether the team wins or loses.

“Football is a matter of opinions. One day the team wins and everybody is doing a great job, and the next minute the team loses and there’s too many old players in the team.”

World Cup hopes remain alive

South Africa’s quarterfinal exit meant they missed out on automatic qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

Banyana, however, kept their hopes alive by defeating Nigeria 2-1 in the subsequent playoff, securing a place in the intercontinental playoffs.

The draw for the next stage is scheduled to take place in Zurich on Thursday, with South Africa now seeking another route to the global tournament.