Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis, who on Wednesday was inducted into the SA Hall of Fame, has predicted a women's team will be Africa's first Fifa World Cup champions, before any men's side.
"I am not in any way sexist, a women's national team in Africa will probably win the World Cup first before a men's team because if you look at the last World Cup, you couldn't predict a result,'' Ellis said at SABC headquarters in Auckland Park yesterday after announcing her final squad to face Jamaica in a double friendly in Montego Bay on November 29 and December 2.
"Anyone could have gone all the way ... Japan beating Spain 4-0 in the group stages and then Spain going on to be champions, no one would have imagined that. We've got to make sure that we up our game as well because everybody on the continent is upping their game and that shows how the game has evolved on the African continent."
Quizzed how being inducted into the Hall of Fame compares to a whole host of her other accomplishments such as being honoured by President Cyril Ramaphosa with the Order of Ikhamanga and receiving an honorary doctorate from Cape Peninsula University of Technology, among others, Ellis insisted her accolades were all special in different ways.
The Banyana coach disclosed defending the Wafcon title in Morocco next year would beat it all.
"Each and every one [of her achievements] has a special meaning. I don't think I can say this one is better than the other one because they mean something different.
"It [being inducted into SA Hall of Fame] ranks up there within all I have ever received. It just says that we are on the right track. Hopefully, it will all come to pass when we defend our [Wafcon] title,'' Ellis said.
In her squad to face Jamaica, Ellis excluded injured defender Bambanani Mbane and Mexico-based duo of Thembi Kgatlana and Jermaine Seoposenwe because their respective clubs have congested fixture programme.
"We all know that Bambanani got injured. Thembi and Jermaine would have played six games in about 16 days by the time we faced Jamaica in the first game. I thought that was too much to bring them in,'' Ellis said.
CAF will on Friday conduct the draw for next year's Wafcon to be staged in Morocco on July 5-26 next year.
Full squad
Keepers: Swart, Dlamini, Williams
Defenders: Makhubela, O’Malley, Ramalepe, Phahla, Mhlongo, Dhlamini, Hadebe
Midfielders: Gamede, Kgoale, Cesane, Motau, Biyana, Ntoane, Mthandi, Holweni, Motlalo
Forwards: Michael, Magaia, Majiya, Gugu Dlamini
Ellis predicts Africa World Cup from women
Banyana squad face Jamaica in double friendly
Image: Veli Nhlapo
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis, who on Wednesday was inducted into the SA Hall of Fame, has predicted a women's team will be Africa's first Fifa World Cup champions, before any men's side.
"I am not in any way sexist, a women's national team in Africa will probably win the World Cup first before a men's team because if you look at the last World Cup, you couldn't predict a result,'' Ellis said at SABC headquarters in Auckland Park yesterday after announcing her final squad to face Jamaica in a double friendly in Montego Bay on November 29 and December 2.
"Anyone could have gone all the way ... Japan beating Spain 4-0 in the group stages and then Spain going on to be champions, no one would have imagined that. We've got to make sure that we up our game as well because everybody on the continent is upping their game and that shows how the game has evolved on the African continent."
Quizzed how being inducted into the Hall of Fame compares to a whole host of her other accomplishments such as being honoured by President Cyril Ramaphosa with the Order of Ikhamanga and receiving an honorary doctorate from Cape Peninsula University of Technology, among others, Ellis insisted her accolades were all special in different ways.
The Banyana coach disclosed defending the Wafcon title in Morocco next year would beat it all.
"Each and every one [of her achievements] has a special meaning. I don't think I can say this one is better than the other one because they mean something different.
"It [being inducted into SA Hall of Fame] ranks up there within all I have ever received. It just says that we are on the right track. Hopefully, it will all come to pass when we defend our [Wafcon] title,'' Ellis said.
In her squad to face Jamaica, Ellis excluded injured defender Bambanani Mbane and Mexico-based duo of Thembi Kgatlana and Jermaine Seoposenwe because their respective clubs have congested fixture programme.
"We all know that Bambanani got injured. Thembi and Jermaine would have played six games in about 16 days by the time we faced Jamaica in the first game. I thought that was too much to bring them in,'' Ellis said.
CAF will on Friday conduct the draw for next year's Wafcon to be staged in Morocco on July 5-26 next year.
Full squad
Keepers: Swart, Dlamini, Williams
Defenders: Makhubela, O’Malley, Ramalepe, Phahla, Mhlongo, Dhlamini, Hadebe
Midfielders: Gamede, Kgoale, Cesane, Motau, Biyana, Ntoane, Mthandi, Holweni, Motlalo
Forwards: Michael, Magaia, Majiya, Gugu Dlamini
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