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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Firdose Moonda

Desiree Ellis: ‘I was fired after my first South Africa game for being late back to work’

Desiree Ellis World Cup South Africa Africa Football Denise OSullivan Fifa the World Cup Hannah Wilkinson Maja Hitij
Desiree Ellis during South Africa training in New Zealand
Desiree Ellis, head coach of South Africa during training in New Zealand, is a former midfielder and captain of the national side. Photograph: Maja Hitij/Fifa/Getty Images

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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