- Desiree Ellis detailed some of the sacrifices she made pursuing Banyana's first-ever Women's African Cup of Nations title.
- Ellis' team beat hosts Morocco 2-1 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium last Saturday.
- Banyana arrive back in South Africa on Tuesday morning to what's expected to be a rapturous reception.
Victorious Women's African Cup of Nations Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis detailed some of the sacrifices she made in pursuit of the Holy Grail that her team finally acquired last weekend.
Ellis' team beat hosts Morocco 2-1 to claim their first continental title in their sixth visit to the final, washing away all the years of hurt of losing five previous finals.
However, Ellis, who also played for the national team, had to make personal sacrifices, too, en route to leading the nation to the ultimate prize.
She explained how she once lost her job as a national team player and how at one point, had to choose between doing her Uefa B Licence or holding onto her car and house while she was unemployed.
"When I played for the national team, I lost my job along the way," Ellis told South African Football Association journalist Lorenz Köhler in Rabat.
"Just after 2010, I could have gone to the Netherlands for a Uefa B Licence [course]. I wasn't employed at the time and I had four months left on my car and I had a bond to pay.
"If I had gone, I would have lost my car and most probably my house, too, because I wouldn't have been able to pay for it.
"So, I sacrificed and here I am today. The hard work and the sacrifices that you put in that no one sees … this is the reward. It didn't come easy because we've had a lot of heartache along the way.
"We got knocked out of the Olympics, we lost the final in 2018, lost the Cosafa Cup recently. But we knew where we were going, we knew this was the ultimate and from the word go, when we started our training, we could see that the players were really determined.
"The players have been absolutely magnificent. When we lost Gabriela [Salgado] and Tembi [Kgatlana], there was a bit of a sombre mood but Tembi made players understand that we still had it in our hands."
Banyana arrive back in South Africa on Tuesday morning to what's expected to be a rapturous reception from jubilant South African fans.