"She Is Destroying These Girls": Desiree Ellis Blasted as Banyana Held by Tanzania in WAFCON Draw

• South Africa's women's team delivered another disjointed performance and struggled to break down a spirited Tanzanian side, raising concerns about their title defence
• Fans were left fuming after Andile Dlamini was dropped for Kaylin Swart, whose selection was widely blamed for Banyana’s lacklustre display and early goal concession
• With South Africa and Mali tied on points, and Ghana and Tanzania close behind, the final group games will be decisive in determining who advances to the knockouts

Banyana Banyana were held to a 1-1 draw by lowly ranked Tanzania in their second group match at the Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) at Honneur Stadium in Oudja, Morocco.

The South African women’s team was far from convincing, as they continued with another disjointed performance, following up their less spirited 2-0 win opener against a much fiercer opponent in Ghana.

How did the game play out?

In Friday’s fixture against 12th-ranked Twiga Stars, Banyana Banyana failed to create any clear-cut chances and were eventually caught wanting by the Tanzanians in the 24th minute.

Clara Clement, after being denied earlier by substitute goalkeeper Kaylin Swart, who came in to replace Andile Dlamini, the starter in the opener, rose highest and headed in a swinging cross to give the East Africans a well-deserved lead.

The South Africans went into the break knowing they badly needed a goal to keep their hopes of a title double alive. It took the previous game’s player of the match, Bambanani Mbane, to lash home the equaliser with 20 minutes remaining on the clock, earning the defending champions a point that takes them to the top of Group C.

How are the group standings looking like?

There is still all to play for heading into the final round of group games, with Banyana and Mali both on 4 points, while Tanzania and Ghana sit on 1 point each.

Fans were not enthused by another insipid showing by Banyana and flocked to social media with their views on what they felt went wrong, with coach Desiree Ellis being slammed for the goalkeeping change.

What did the fans say about the performance?

@Marti

"Desire she colored and Danny Jordan also colored – they are killing our South African football ⚽️. The only thing that Desire wants is for Swart to have more caps than Dlamini."

@Comfort

"Dlamini is a great goalkeeper, but my observation over the years is that Desree seems to have a problem with her attitude or personality 🤣. Dlamini is the tjatjarag kinda type – but the coach isn’t supposed to let personal feelings cloud her judgment. This isn’t her family business; it’s a national key point."

@Thato

"She doesn’t dive, she is running after the ball 🤣🤣⚽️."

@Phire

"She must go after this tournament. We can’t even match Zambia and Nigeria with such a performance."

@Benjamin

"She needs to vividly understand that she is the coach of Banyana Banyana, not the owner of the national team. She’s starting to practice what she was harshly reprimanded for in the previous cup games. Swart, as a goalkeeper, does not meet the standard of a national team keeper."

@Mapitos

"According to me – I said according to me – this time the Banyana team is weaker than before. I don’t see them reaching the final."

@Ntsien

"Eish, that’s my question... How do you change a winning team? Especially the goalkeeper who kept a clean sheet 🤷🏿‍♀️🤷🏿‍♀️."

@Innocent

"Remember she did the same thing during the FIFA World Cup, but Swart keeps on disappointing her."

@Adzill

"These corrupt politicians must leave our football. Why was she changing the goalkeeper? Her first choice keeps letting the country down. It’s time for her to leave – she is destroying these girls."

What's next for Banyana?

The last match against Mali on Monday will prove to be decisive and a win for the ladies will book them a spot in the quarter-finals.

Danny Jordaan speaks on the Amajita bonus

Briefly News previously reported that the South African Football Association (SAFA) has yet to finalise any bonus or incentive structure for the Amajita squad following their historic U-20 Afcon triumph in Egypt.

Source: Briefly News