Desiree Ellis, the architect of Banyana Banyana’s 2022 WAFCON triumph, left for Morocco without her contract situation resolved.
Almost 14 months after her contract expired, the four-time CAF Women’s Coach of the Year is yet to pen a new deal.
The 62-year-old was initially appointed on an interim basis in 2016 after Vera Pauw quit. She was handed a permanent contract in 2018. The former Banyana captain has guided the national women’s team to the FIFA Women’s World Cup twice, reaching the last 16 in the 2023 edition.
When asked by FARPost, SAFA president Danny Jordaan deflected the question, stating it was “an administration issue.” SAFA CEO Lydia Monyepao added that the contract is in place but awaits guidance from “the technical committee on a reappointment.”
“The fact is – the Banyana Banyana coach’s contract ended the day we failed to qualify for the Olympics [9 April 2024],” Monyepao responded. “That was against Nigeria. After that, we issued another contract to say we’re putting this contract on the table.
“We are guided, so that while we’re waiting for the technical committee to guide us on a reappointment. So the contract has been there ever since then, and we are waiting for the technical committee to give us direction in terms of where do we take the matter forward. But the contract is there.”
She said they negotiated a bonus structure with her, contingent on her winning the WAFCON.
DESIREE ELLIS WAFCON SQUAD IN CASABLANCA
Adding to the concerns, SABC Sport reported that the defending WAFCON champions, Banyana, staged a stay-in on Friday, refusing to train. The players reportedly cited unpaid dues as the reason.
Banyana landed in Morocco on Wednesday for the tournament, which is set to kick off next Saturday. The South Africa senior women’s national team wants to be paid their outstanding bonuses for their April and June training camps, which were part of coach Ellis’s preparations for the WAFCON.
SAFA are yet to pay these outstanding fees. While Head of Delegation Thabile Msomi informed the team that the matter has been escalated to the SAFA president, the players have requested a direct address from Jordaan regarding their payments.
SAFA vice-president Linda Zwane played down the stay-in reports, saying it was a “minor issue.” He told journalists that SAFA had “dealt with the matter swiftly after it appeared.”
“So we had a discussion with the captain of the team and the HOD. We were then able to agree, and we also sent the necessary commitments,” Zwane said.
The reigning African champions left OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday, arriving in Morocco on Wednesday to finalise their preparations for the WAFCON. They are currently in Casablanca for their final preparations and will move to their base camp in Oujda on Thursday.
They kick off their title defence against Ghana on Monday, 7 July, followed by a match against Tanzania on Friday, 11 July. They’ll conclude their Group C matches with a fixture against Mali on Monday, 14 July, with all group stage games hosted at Honneur Stadium in Oujda.
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