The Banyana Banyana coach on her long journey and how African teams can close the gap to their European opponents
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When Desiree Ellis earned her first international cap, she also lost her day job.
It was May 1993 and Ellis, now the head coach of the South Africa team preparing for their second World Cup, was picked as part of the first squad of players to represent their country in a women’s football match. They were up against their neighbours Swaziland (now Eswatini) in a Sunday fixture in Johannesburg. Ellis travelled the 780 miles from her home in Cape Town by bus, a journey which took around 18 hours and was one of the stars of a dominant performance for the Banyana Banyana.
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