Ellis Back To Lead Banyana After Contract Standoff

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis is back at the helm as her side prepares to face Morocco in an international friendly next month.

Ellis recently signed a new five-year deal with Banyana Banyana, but she was reportedly unhappy with the package offered, which saw her miss the two matches against Congo in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifiers.

In her absence, assistant coach Thinasonke Mbuli guided the team to qualification for the tournament, which will be held in Morocco next year.

With Morocco—who lost this year’s WAFCON final to Nigeria—next on the schedule, Ellis expects a physical encounter when her charges face the North Africans away from home.

Banyana Banyana will meet Morocco at a venue still to be confirmed on Tuesday, 2 December.

Ellis will use the fixture as part of her preparations for the WAFCON finals, set to take place in Morocco from 17 March to 3 April 2026.

“Morocco are probably the best team in North Africa at the moment. They’ve reached two successive WAFCON finals and are growing in leaps and bounds. You know they will bring the physicality,” said Ellis.

“They will also bring their positional play, and we want to see how we match up against them. We’ve played a lot of physical teams this year, but we haven’t faced many sides that play similarly to us.

“So, it will be a good challenge for us to see what we can take from this game.”

Banyana Banyana defeated Morocco to win their first-ever WAFCON title in 2022, when the tournament was also hosted in the North African nation.

The team assembled in Johannesburg on Monday, 24 November and will depart for Morocco on Friday, 28 November.