Every club and every team wants to be champions... but maybe the real champions are Africa's football songwriters ♥ ► Salatiel x Mr Leo ft Mink's, Daphne, Valdez, Mary A - "We Are Champions" [Official Video] ► "We Are Champions" - Wiyaala performs at 2018 Women's AFCON opening ceremony ► AKOSUA AGYAPONG SONG FOR WOMEN'S AFCON 2018 (and Freddie Mercury was born in Zanzibar, but he's had enough trophies) ..But mainly the thread's about football, what's going on in Africa in the women's game, national leagues/cups, you know the drill. The 5 regions of the CAF confederation (44Charles, cc-by-sa) ⬤ At the AWCON 2018, Nigeria won a rare title, only their 11th in 13 attempts since 1991. They'll be disappointed with that. ⬤ In the late 2010s, a great advance in the women's game was regional competition in Africa as a condition of Fifa funding – with regular senior and youth tournaments in the south (COSAFA) and east (CECAFA) and a couple each in the west (WAFU) and north (UNAF). Algeria hosted a junior tournament at the end of 2019. The central region (UNIFFAC) has some strong teams, but it's had major problems in organizing any competitions. The big question: "Is UNIFFAC cursed?" ↯ As for the future: Who do you see hitting the top in the 2020s? Nigeria are still Africa's no.1 but only narrowly, and they had off-field troubles in 2019. They and Cameroon both got to the last 16 in France 2019. And there's so much else to cover - the new Sudan women's league based on a popular movie; South Africa's fight for recognition; the Zimbabwe team's strike, and African players making their mark overseas. ⬤ At club level, these were some of the stories last season: Other threads on women's football worldwide Caribbean + Central America | Middle East + mid-Asia | East Asia | Pacific + Australasia | South America clubs | Europe clubs | WNT without a thread
Two countries have their first champions, after years of fighting just to play: Sudan's champs are club Al Difaa ('The Defence'), who won the league for the 2019 season. They won the final 1-0, appropriately enough, in December against Al Tahadi ('The Challenge'), the club from the Khartoum Offside movie. There's more info on the Sudan FA pages. Africanews had covered the first game in the new league in September, with the same two clubs: Video: Sudan women's soccer league kicks off www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVwOEtgq7n4 Final: https://www.cafonline.com/news-cent...pions-of-the-first-ever-sudanese-women-league (Archive) - More info: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-a...ese-women-breaking-taboos-by-playing-football In South Sudan, women's football made big strides in 2019. The federation held its first cup tournament, won by Aweil. Soon after, the country entered women's international football at the CECAFA Championship. A couple of international tournaments are scheduled for early 2020 – north Africa's first UNAF women's cup in a decade, and west Africa's first WAFU Zone A championship. Ghana had problems with its FA before it hosted the AWCON in 2018, and power switched to a Fifa-approved "normalization committee" until 2019. Now the GFA is back, but more weird goings-on as 2020 began: the bosses sacked all the national coaches, and 10 days later re-hired the same women's coach, Mercy Tagoe - a pointless exercise, where women's football seemed to be an afterthought.
Nigeria: In club football in 2019, the national super cup was won 2-0 by the previous champions Bayelsa Queens (in green) 2-0 over Rivers Angels - goals by Uzoamaka Igwe and Lucky Odiri. (-Report) The league format sent 4 group winners to the NWPL finals, the Super 4, in Agege in Lagos. This time Rivers Angels were victorious and added a new title to their 2014-15-16 treble: they survived a semifinal rematch with Bayelsa, and then the team from Rivers State beat Confluence Queens in the final 1-0 with an early penalty by Cecilia Nku, ex-Toppserien midfielder. The player of the season was striker Anjor Mary of Bayelsa. How Rivers Angels won the Nigerian women’s league - https://www.pulse.ng/sports/footbal...ens-league-title-at-2019-nwpl-super-4/2j47mfv (Archive) POTY https://www.kick442.com/naija-women-football-league-awards-anjor-mary-grabs-double-honours/ (Archive) 6 champs http://www.thenwfl.com/six-players-who-have-won-the-nwpl-with-more-than-one-club/ (Archive)
Great moments in commentator neutrality (In Côte d'Ivoire... Wait, what's the meaning of "Attention! Non! Non! Non!"?) For Ivory Coast the 2010s were a decade of progress; the team reached their first Cup of Nations in 2012, won bronze in 2014 and had a World Cup baptism of fire. Away goals losses have twice denied AWCON qualification to the CIV team, half of whom play for clubs abroad. The best Ivorian club has been more consistent than its league over the years. The women's Championnat began in the 1980s/90s - it now has two divisions - but it sometimes had seasons interrupted or missed. When they play, the team Juventus Yopougon from Abidjan used to win every title, a record almost unrivalled in world football, but club Onze Soeurs have won a few recently. The teams met in this championship final in 2017: Juventus Yopougon 1 - 0 Onze Soeurs - (Kouassi Rosemonde 87') - www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rxrx4P5dYLQ (Match report / Other CIV videos on FIF channel)
This post was gonna be about Banyana Banyana, but they can't compete with Vakhegula Vakhegula Soccer Grannies: South Africa's Footballing Pensioners Find A New Lease Of Life www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvNfKFztXPk From the Soccer Movies thread:
And here's a handy guide for naming the South Africa teams, nicknames that are used to cheer them on: Women's national team: Banyana Banyana (= "girls" in Zulu) Women's U20s: Basetsana (= "girls" in Setswana) Women's U17s: Bantwana (= "kids" in Zulu) The original was "the boys" of the MNT, Bafana Bafana, in the '90s.
(img: Ivy Wambui, cc-by-sa) Kenya: There was a national women's league in 1984/1985. With sponsorship from Unicef, the league stepped it up in 2010. The champions were Mathare (founded in 2002 by the slum charity MYSA) from that large Nairobi suburb, and Mathare also won the 2011 women's Sakata Challenge. The organization Moving The Goalposts in 2010 aimed for social change through girls' football, and held more than 1,000 games that year. The Women's Premier League hasn't thrived with formats including holding all games in a "central" location, and a seasonal split of Zones A & B. Money troubles also led the federation (FKF) to withdraw from the 2011 All-Africa Games. At international level, Kenya reached the AWCON 2016 group stage, and became 2019 CECAFA champions in Tanzania.
Zambia are Olympic-class in 2020, qualifying by beating Cameroon on away goals, for Africa's only guaranteed place at the 2021 Tokyo Games (TBC). Zambia in 2020 - (Fifa.com) Women's football was in dispute in Zambia's government post-independence in the 1970s and '80s. Ministers backed or opposed changes in male-dominated sports, while the Women's Football League began in 1984. It was hit by the country's recession in the '90s and the league's problems improved little by 2013. So, reaching the Olympics was a huge achievement for a nation with no past AWCON semifinals and only one COSAFA finalists' medal, in 2019. Becoming Mary Mwakapila: The tournament that defined the midfielders journey | ZamFoot https://zambianfootball.co.zm/becom...that-defined-the-midfielders-journey/zfadmin/ (Archive) After Mwakapila called for reform, a new 'national league' was held in 2020. Being Olympians isn't always the path to live as legends - Zambia saw it firsthand when they faced Zimbabwe (who played at the Rio Games earlier). ZIM went on strike over lack of pay, and forfeited their qualifying match.
Gabrielle Onguéné - (img: Happi Raphael, cc-by-sa)- Cameroon has a unique record, strong in Africa for years but without the trophies to show for it. The Lionnes Indomptables won their 1st international honour at the 2011 All-Africa Games in Nigeria's absence. Even in a home final, Cameroon were pipped at the post again by Nigeria in the 2016 AWCON. Why?/Pourquoi? Cameroon's neighbour had a head-start in women's football, while Cameroon saw a serious upturn in 1990 led by an international ref, De Gonzague. The national championship has lacked consistency, and in 2014 clubs went on strike over funds from the FA (Fecafoot). - "Etat des lieux" / "State of Cameroonian football", 2015 (Archive)
One championship not yet mentioned here - the Central Africa federation got it together for its first women's tournament UNIFFAC Championship (2020) bigsoccer.com/threads/2108881
As it's page 1, it may also help to give some basic definitions, so that nobody is left behind. What is CAF? /'kaf/ = Confederation of African Football / Confédération Africaine de Football What does CAF do? According to google, "CAF provides specialist financial services" "CAF does, what you want it to do!" "condemns Nigeria for failing to pay €4.5Million! (What does CAF do with all these money?) ReplyRetweetFavorite" As well as organizing the Africa Women's Cup of Nations (AWCON), it awards the African Women's player of the year. Oshoala: voted No.1 Next week: What's the difference between FUFA, SAFA, ZIFA, FAZ, FENIFOOT and FENIFUT?
Ghana has been one of Africa's great nations in women's football, but again without realizing its full potential. The Black Queens reached 3 World Cups and 3 African finals, even before a national league was announced in 2007 - then, while the international success dried up, it took another 5 years to turn the Zonal Championship into the NWL. From 2012/13, that title was won by Hasaacas Ladies 3 times. The Ghanaian league is still one of Africa's best and you'll want to say hello to every team. Just the idea of naming a football club Sea Lions, Supreme Ladies or Fabulous Ladies... POLICE LADIES 1 - 1 SOCCER INTELLECTUALS www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7f2Dlcqa0s Match report: Ghana FA (Archive)
Before there was VAR, Morocco had FAR - a powerhouse in the men's championship, 'army club' FAR Rabat has recently become the same in the women's. After Club Laâyoune won 4 titles, compared with only one for Morocco's famous club Wydad Casablanca, the 2017/18 women's title was the 5th for FAR. The women's championship began in 2001 and had north and south groups, and has now become a national league. ▶ Wydad Casablanca 5 - 1 ARAF, 2015 Club Laâyoune 2 - 5 FAR Rabat, 2016 Cup final www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW986Vrm6pg Morocco's national team is variously described as They reached two African Women's Championships but none since 2000, usually narrow losses in qualifiers against Mali and Senegal, somewhat bogey teams for the Lionnes of the Atlas mountains. But generally, a lot of things seem to be going on there in the women's game. Coaching news in 2020 - Kelly Lindsey, who did such important work in Afghanistan, was announced as the Morocco manager.
Mali hit new heights at the 2018 AWCON in 4th place, after some dramatic wins for the Aiglonnes, but Cameroon beat them 4-2 to reach the World Cup. Former midfielder for Mali, Fatou Camara is now Fifa's director for west Africa in Senegal. Women's club soccer has a varied history of cups and championships over the decades, mainly around the capital city Bamako, where the top team resides - AS Mandé have won 13 Bamako titles and most of the national women's trophies, including the first full national league 2016/17. The 22-game league wasn't attempted again for 2 years, and Salimata Diarra said the players were undervalued. www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0VOHX5GKbo
Ethiopia is a country that knows how to make women's football into an event, with some of Africa's best attendances for the national team Lucy and some club games. Even their Cup of Nations qualifying celebration was great. That same year, 2012, the Ethiopian FA ruled that the top clubs in men's football must have a women's team too, one of the first countries in the world to do that. The EWPL championship goes back to 2004 - its first winner, Dedebit, became the most successful women's team with 6 titles, but the club folded in 2019 due to money problems. That year's new champions were Adama City in a close run-in with former champs Nigd Bank - meanwhile, former Dedebit player Loza Abera has caught the eye with her high strike-rate in Malta. An Ethiopian division 2 was added in 2017. Dedebit v Ethiopia Coffee, 2017 - (img: TimotiosBaye)
Are they called Lucy after the ancient female hominin that was discovered here? The same one of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"?
Yep, it's that Lucy. Technically, every human should support them. Another member of Cecafa, Rwanda is a team that makes things happen every time, despite playing senior internationals rarely. The team's debut was a shock knockout win over Kenya. In Rwanda's second tournament 2 years later they lost 3-2 to two of East Africa's best, and in their third tournament, they hosted in 2018 and Alice Kalimba's goal won the opening game v champion Tanzania. The secret was a commitment to youth and club football, and the long-running Rwanda Women's League, with the strongest club AS Kigali. Rwanda's Soccer Sisterhood (2017) youtube.com/watch?v=hFd2S1cgq68
Tanzania: One of a few women's leagues that continued its season after Covid lockdown. In the final few matches, Simba Queens are leading Alliance Girls and could win the Dar es Salaam club its first title. In 3rd place are JKT Queens, who won the past 2 championships; the winners from 2016/17, Mlandizi, are 7th. https://allafrica.com/stories/202007310207.html (Archive) Simba Queens 5 - 1 Yanga Princess youtube.com/watch?v=AbJmrsj01Rk
DR Congo had a team good enough for the continental bronze medal in 1998, but in central Africa's largest country, a women's league is hard to start. The national team didn't continue winning, and was even withdrawn from competitions for some years after 2012, but Michaela Abam of rival Cameroon tipped the DRC for future success. In a dizzying array of club tournaments, the pinnacle is the Coupe du Congo. The 2008 cupwinner, North Kivu province, has its leading club AS Kabasha - but the region has been a frequent conflict zone. In the 2010s, the cup was won five times by OCL City from southeastern province Katanga, but they haven't had it all their own way. Coupe du Congo final 2016 Attaque sans recul 2 - 1 OCL City Chimène Masadila 36', 78' / Mushiya Ntuma 58' youtube.com/watch?v=gpBIsLVRT_M
Two-time champions of Africa, Equatorial Guinea supports a women's league, Liga Femenina, that played in 2008 and since 2015, won twice by Estrellas de Ewaiso Ipola before the 2017 title went to Leones Vegetarianos, who also win Best Club Name. EQG has 2 women's divisions (all clubs in Malabo and Bata) and was a host candidate for Cup of Nations before the 2020 event was called off. As the national team declined after its bans, Equatorial Guinea's greatest player and double title-winning captain Genoveva Añonman travelled the globe in club football. In her career she has suffered some horrible treatment personally, and in 2020 there were worries over her health and lack of help, but she said the federation was helping her. Estrellas de Ewaiso Ipola v Súper Leonas (Feguifut.org)
Angola was one of the pioneers in the African Women's Championship as 1995 semifinalists. The south-west African nation were Cosafa women's finalists as hosts in 2008. Sadly, the national team and women's national championship were stopped for several years. The team returned at the 2019 Cosafa cup, but a 4-0 loss to Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) shows how far they fell. Some Angolan clubs have been forward-thinking in the women's game: Progresso Sambizanga (4-time champions), and 1º de Agosto worked with the national top-scorer, Irene Gonçalves, in youth development. More about her here: https://breakingthelines.com/opinion/irene-goncalves-the-legend-of-diva-demolidora -(Archive)
Zimbabwe is a tale of women's football talent stifled by mismanagement – happy moments like the 2016 Olympic qualification sadly outweighed by infighting and politics at FA level, to the teams' cost. With women's clubs from the 1970s, Zimbabwe's Mighty Warriors were African semifinalists at the first try, and the first team to beat South Africa to the Cosafa championship in 2011. Two women's leagues ran against each other in 2015. A breakaway competition was begun by the former league chief Miriam Sibanda after ZIFA suspended her (corruption charges were later dropped). An unhelpful episode for the team, but a small obstacle compared to what some players suffered before they reached Rio in 2016. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016...n-arduous-journey-brazil-160803113324570.html (img by Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil, cc-by)
I know you'd probably expect the page to end with an ode to Malawi and the Chawingas, but some things are more important than football. Southeast Africa was struck by its worst ever storm, Cyclone Idai, causing Mozambique the worst destruction. This was filmed weeks later: Mozambique: Women's football team helping to build a cholera treatment centre