With coach Desiree Ellis’ future with the national team uncertain due to a stalemate in contract negotiations with the SA Football Association (Safa), assistant coach Thinasonke Mbuli will lead Banyana Banyana in today’s pivotal Wafcon qualifier against the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Ellis, who guided Banyana to victory in the 2022 Wafcon, has encountered a significant obstacle in her pursuit of an enhanced salary from the association.
Ellis’ previous contract with Safa ended after the Olympic Games in July 2024, and she has been on a month-to-month basis ever since.
Stalemate over compensation
Ellis was recommended and approved by Safa’s national executive committee last week, but she has not been able to come to an agreement with the association bosses over compensation.
Ellis did not go to the DRC with the team as a result, and her assistant Mbuli will lead the team in a crucial and much-anticipated away game in Kinshasa. Kick-off is at 6pm.
With both nations eager to improve on their previous Wafcon campaigns, this tie over two legs marks a crucial first step toward Morocco 2026.
According to the Safa website, the South Africans received a lift with the arrival of Linda Motlhalo on Tuesday, adding poise and creativity to a group that has trained with intent since assembling for camp at the weekend.
Captain Refiloe Jane underscored the team’s clarity of purpose ahead of a demanding away leg: “It is very important to qualify for the Wafcon, so the results are important.
DRC has the advantage
Given the changes in the DRC team, qualifying will be challenging. So we’ll have to prepare very well and try to get a favourable result.”
Since the first leg is being played on Congolese soil, the DRC has the immediate advantage on paper; however, South Africa plans to gain an advantage to set up a strong position for the return leg in Johannesburg next Tuesday.
As they prepare for this qualifier over two legs, caretaker coach Mbuli talked about the challenges that lie ahead.
“I believe DR Congo and Banyana Banyana are facing similar challenges. We lost our last game at Wafcon to Ghana, but perhaps the advantage to DR Congo is that they were in a tough group with Morocco and Zambia.
“Those matches, even though DR Congo didn’t make it to the knockouts, might have helped them prepare well for these qualifiers,” Mbuli said.
