Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis says she welcomes the headache that comes with selecting a squad for next month’s Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in Morocco.

This year’s Awcon will be on from July 2-22 in the North African country. SA is in Group C, alongside bitter rivals Nigeria, Botswana and Burundi.

With the kick-off still a month away, Banyana Banyana has been in camp in Johannesburg with 33 players before the squad is trimmed down to 21. Departure to Morocco is scheduled for June 21. 

Banyana has been hard at work, taken through their paces by the technical team. Players are raising their hands in training camp as they want to be at the boarding gates in a week.

“Everybody is starting to step on us... Everybody is raising their hands so we have a really big headache,” Ellis said. 

“That’s what we want, to have a headache in terms of selecting the squad. We want to make sure we get the best players with the way we want to play, those that can do the job for us. 

“Selection is going to be tough, it’s going to be a big headache, we have to make sure we get everything right. The performance of the players gets them into the team and we have to make sure we get the best selection.”

The former Banyana Banyana skipper elaborated on what the purpose of their camp is, besides the selection process, they’re working on tactical preparation and fitness. 

“It’s for selection and preparation, we’re not just looking at the players, we’re also preparing them. We’re looking at different scenarios, matching players and getting the combinations going so we get the right one. 

“We also want to see where they’re at in terms of the level of fitness. They’ve played quite a number of games already, I must admit they’re in good shape. We are trying to push their fitness levels.”