Ellis focuses on 2022 Women’s Afcon and 2023 World Cup
The South African women's team coach expects a challenging run in the Women 's Africa Cup of Nations.
Desiree Ellis head coach of South Africa (Pic Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix)
Desiree Ellis says the next Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is going to be a bit more difficult, with the number of competing teams having increased, and that Banyana Banyana will need to go the extra mile to win the tournament, having come close the last time.
The Banyana coach led the South African senior women’s team to the final in 2018, where they lost 4-3 to Nigeria after finishing extra-time goalless in Accra, Ghana.
“The next tournament has been increased from eight to twelve countries. The format will obviously change and that will make it even tougher, but it will take similar planning and focus to first qualify and then to put in a better effort to win it in 2022 which by the way also doubles up as a 2023 World Cup qualifying tournament,” Ellis told Safa.net.
“The experience of having played in so many finals most probably gave Nigeria the edge but we gave as good as we got before losing on penalties which is a lottery. I think the players were absolutely amazing in the way they went about the whole tournament where we finished unbeaten in the field of play.”
“They were focused on the plan but their execution of the plan said it all and got us through to the final and subsequently qualified for the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup.”
The Banyana coach adds that teamwork was key on their road to the final at the last Women’s Afcon as well as the work done by people behind the scenes at the team.
“We always speak about team work and you can’t forget the behind the scenes work done by the technical team, medical team and the rest of the support staff. We have to surpass that to qualify for the next Fifa Women’s World Cup in 2023.”
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