POLL | Could Desiree Ellis help improve Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates or Bafana?

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis keeps on winning in African football and never fails to fly the South African flag high despite challenges her team faces. 

The coach has been in the spotlight again this week, winning Women’s Coach of the Year award at the Confederation of African Football's Caf Awards in Marrakesh, Morocco.

Ellis steered Banyana to Women’s Africa Cup of Nations victory in July 2022. In Australasia in August they became the first South African national senior team to reach the group stages of a World Cup. The women’s national team lost 2-0 against Netherlands in the last 16. 

Ellis took the Caf award for a fourth time, previously winning in 2018, 2019 and 2022. Caf says she has set a winning record.

She was not the only woman from the national team who shone at the awards ceremony. Banyana and Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies player Andile Dlamini was the goalkeeper in the Caf/FifPro Women’s XI, where she was joined by South Africa teammates Bambani Mbane and Lebohang Ramalepe, also of Sundowns.

Banyana dominated the continent’s Best XI players in the women’s category as two more Banyana players in the midfield, Linda Motlhalo and Refiloe Jane, brought South Africa’s complement to five.

Banyana achieved all this despite grievances over not receiving enough support from the SA Football Association (Safa) and just remuneration when compared with the men's team, issues that came up during the team's World Cup send-off.   

Ellis and Banyana’s success has put her in the spotlight while SA's men's national team and some of the top PSL teams flounder.

Some people on social media, impressed by Ellis's accomplishments, have recommended she try her hand at coaching underachieving Bafana Bafana, Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates.

Bafana last qualified for a World Cup, other than as hosts, in 2002 and last won the men's Nations Cup in 1996.

Chiefs have not won a trophy in seasons. Their fellow Soweto “giants” Pirates have won the last three cup competitions in succession but have not won the DStv Premiership League title since 2011-12, 12 seasons ago.