Africa: Forget Favourites Tag - Banyana Banyana Coach Tells Players

6 July 2022
Ghanaian Times (Accra)

South Africa coach Desiree Ellis has warned her team to forget their tag as one of the 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations (WAFCON) favourites.

Banyana Banyana, who have been WAFCON runners-up five times - including at the last edition in Ghana in 2018 - are tipped to finally break their trophy drought at senior continental level for this tournament in Morocco.

They got their campaign underway on Monday evening when they beat Group C rivals and reigning champions, Nigeria - 2-1, in Rabat, thanks to quick-fire second-half goals from Jermaine Seoposenwe and Hildah Magaia. Rasheedat Ajibade scored a late consolation for the Super Falcons.

"The team has grown a lot since the last edition," Ellis told Sowetan Live. "It would be naive of us to go to a tournament and not set a goal of winning it... we know we are one of the favourites.

"We've been runners-up five times, so we're favourites but that doesn't mean we must think it'll be easy for us.

"We can't go there and underestimate opponents. We have debutants in our group in Botswana [who beat them in the Olympic qualifiers in 2019] and Burundi.

"They're both good countries who can beat any team, so I will continue to stress to the players that nothing will be easy. Burundi beat Tanzania [in the qualifiers]... Senegal beat Mali recently," said Ellis.

Read the original article on Ghanaian Times.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2022 Ghanaian Times. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 400 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.