The South African Football Association is looking to the future after finally settling the contract saga of Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis.

South African Football Association (Safa) boss Danny Jordaan confirmed on Thursday, 30 October, that Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis has finally put pen to paper on her new contract.

"I am happy that everything is settled. You could see from her support for the U-17s and giving them a message of support that she is back," Jordaan said at a farewell breakfast for the U-17 men's side, who will be competing in the U-17 World Cup in Qatar.

Earlier in October, the soccer federation's national executive committee agreed to the technical committee's recommendation to offer long-time Banyana Banyana coach Ellis a new four-year contract.

However, the process was not seamless, with Ellis said to be displeased with Safa's proposed remuneration package.

While contract negotiations are a norm in any workplace context, it was the timing of the Ellis/Safa discussions that caused the most concern.

Ellis has been working on a month-to-month basis for over a year after her previous contract expired. So, the pertinent question was why it took South Africa's soccer governing body until just...