WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Women’s World Cup 2023: Morocco and the women’s football revolution funded by a king
Morocco’s women are set to make their first appearance at a World Cup, having qualified by finishing as runners-up at last year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, a tournament played on home soil.
The Atlas Lionesses’ success follows a period of investment supported by Morocco’s king, Mohammed VI, aimed at changing the country’s attitude towards women’s football.
As well as a new professional league, the national team now train alongside the stars of the men’s game at a $65m complex that bears the king’s name.
In a short documentary by BBC Sport Africa, the changing face of women footballers in Morocco was highlighted.
For instance, Sporting Club Casablanca is a Moroccan female football club that started four years ago. According to Moad Oukacha, the President of Sporting Club Casablanca, Morocco knew they had a lot of areas in need of improvement.
So, three years ago, Morocco launched a professional football league for women. Each team got subvention from the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.
Oukach justified the payment, “They will automatically feed the national team with players to make it the best in Africa and one of the best in the world.”
He revealed that the club has players from Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire. Each player earns a thousand US dollar a month.
One of the players spoke glowingly about the development. Hear Chaimaae Akrim, a defender at Sporting Club Casablanca: “Our club gave us stability and helped us develop our skills.
Another player, Yasmin Mrabet, a defender remarked: “Here, I really feel like a professional footballer. The investment that has yielded good results”.
Overall, the league has provided the women folk an opportunity.The national team trains at the $65million Mohammed VI complex.
The king is reported to be a keen football fan whose investment has seen Morocco soaring high in football. According to BBC, Morocco has an annual budget of $65 million for women’s football.
Hear the national women’s team coach Reynald Pedros: “When I arrived, we discussed the project. To have the women’s national team regularly qualify for WAFCON and World Cup.
“To reach the World Cup quarter-finals is our ambition.”
Despite wintry conditions in Blida, on the outskirts of the Algerian capital, Algiers, Nigeria’s U17 girls dug their feet into the ground on Friday night.
They achieved a scoreless draw that qualified them for this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals.
Holding on to a 4-0 first-leg advantage, the 2002 bronze medallists adopted a calm and collected pattern that easily soaked up the expected pressure from the hosts and then relied on fast breaks to try and pull the trigger on their opponents.
Although they created better chances on the night, the Flamingos failed to make dominance in possession pay, but swiftly collected the ticket to Morocco on a 4-0 aggregate win.
The difference over two legs of the final round was a remarkable display in the opening leg by the Flamingos, during which a brace by Queen Joseph and one each by Zainab Raji and substitute Aisha Animashaun ensured a 4-0 win.
The Flamingos will now be one of Africa’s five representatives (including hosts Morocco) at this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals taking place from 17th October – 5th November. The final competition will entertain 24 teams for the very first time.
Since the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup competition was launched in New Zealand in 2008, Nigeria have failed to make the finals only once – the 2018 tournament hosted by Uruguay.
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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Despite heavy first leg loss, Algeria hopeful of a turnaround in Nigeria’s Flamingos clash
The Algeria U17 women’s national team still hope for a possible turnaround in this Friday night clash with Nigeria’s Flamingos.
Algeria lost 4-0 in the first leg match in Ikenne last Saturday.
The Algerians completed their preparations on Thursday at the Sidi Moussa National Technical Centre, the eve of the return match against Nigeria.
The return match is scheduled for this Friday at 8 p.m. at the Mustapha Tchaker Stadium in Blida. Aggregate winners will pick a ticket to the FIFA U-17 Women’s 2025 World Cup.
According to sources in Algeria, all the players took part in the final session, during which coach Abdenour Mira finalised the tactical details for the make or mar encounter.
Despite the heavy defeat conceded in the first leg (4-0), the young Algerians approach this match with the desire to finish well and deliver an honourable performance against a formidable Nigerian team.
During the technical meeting held early in the afternoon at the FAF headquarters, in the presence of representatives of the two teams and the organisers, it was decided that Algeria will play in green, while Nigeria will wear white.
The match will be officiated by Cameroonian Aline Marie Noelle Guimbang, assisted by her compatriot Laurie Marcelle Tsafack Teikeu and Chadian Victorine Ngarassoum.
The fourth official will also be Cameroonian, Innoncentia Njang Ntangti.
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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Under possible cold weather in Blida, Nigeria’s Flamingos set to grab World Cup ticket
The weather is most likely to be cold, but Nigeria’s U17 girls, Flamingos, are set to continue a tradition of qualifying for every edition of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, which has had eight editions, out of which the Flamingos featured in seven.
Only Japan, with 100 per cent attendance, has featured in more competitions than Nigeria’s Flamingos.
They look poised to feature again after a 4-0 defeat of Algeria in the first leg of the final qualifying series.
Apart from their opponents, Algeria, they have the expected cold weather to battle with at the Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida (outside Algiers), on Friday night.
Friday’s encounter against their Algerian counterparts is the final leg of a final qualifying round fixture, with the Flamingos, bronze-medallists from the 2022 finals in India and quarterfinalists from the last edition in the Dominican Republic, holding on to a 4-0 first-leg advantage.
The Federation Algerienne de Football (FAF) has scheduled the match to kick off at 8 pm, at a time when the winds will begin to blow in stronger from the Mediterranean Sea.
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