Football for women also deserving of support on continent

WOMEN’Sfootball in Africa is being given a raw deal with only the crumbs of the continent’s massive football budget being signed off for women in football.

CAF must step up the game and demand advances to women’s participation in football, across the continent. It’s an injustice to humanity when sportswomen are discriminated against in resource and budget allocation. It’s a worse atrocity when talented, emerging players have no professional league in their country to pursue life as professional women footballers, just like their male counterparts.

Africa was represented at the 2015 Women’s football World Cup in Canada by three countries: Nigeria, Cameroon and Ivory Coast. Much was expected of African champions, Nigeria. They found themselves drawn in the “group of death” with Australia, the US and Sweden, and never made it past the group stages.

The 2015 Women’s Football World Cup debutants got mixed results with Ivory Coast losing 10-0 to Germany in their opening match and never recovering thereafter. For first-time performers, I thought Cameroon were very impressive; their performance in the last 16 of the competitive tournament proved the team’s prowess mixed with inexperience.

So, what now for African women’s football? The three teams are back in Africa while the quarter-finals continue with no African representative. African women’s football will now prepare for the RIO Olympics qualifiers and All Africa Games, to be held in Congo in September.

As the controlling body for football on the African continent, CAF must prioritise women’s football. Girls and women’s participation is growing furiously, and competitions must be increased to give the clubs and teams the best opportunities to participate and grow their football skills.

As African women’s football has shown in the under-20 and under-17 World Cups held over the past few years, African countries have excelled in these elite events and have medalled when competing with the world’s best, as Ghana and Nigeria have accomplished.

CAF must introduce a continental club competition featuring all national league winners. An African knockout championship for cup winners must also be looked at. Both these competitions will give impetus to clubs to perform regionally and win national titles to qualify to perform in Africa’s prestige women’s football events.

As Nigeria and Cameroon showed at this year’s women’s football World Cup, African countries are not far behind the top European, North American and Asian playing countries. Superbly talented young players like Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala spotlight Africa’s emerging women’s football talent. But Africa’s talented women footballers have to play football knowing they must get a contract to play out of Africa if they want to play professionally. When are professional leagues for women footballers going to take off in some African countries?

Africa’s women’s national teams play on an ad hoc basis like when qualifiers are coming up. There are not many qualifiers for Africa’s few continental championships. Players need to be operating competitively all year with small breaks in between.

CAF has much to improve and develop men’s and boys participation in league football and international matches. So, why is this not being done for the women? It cannot be allowed to discard and disregard women in football when the global game is played by both genders.

CAF’s reluctance to advance women’s football beyond its present state impacts on emerging girl footballers never knowing their full talent and capabilities.

An African country can win a women’s World Cup, but the only way they are going to achieve this is with more assistance and support from CAF which rightfully must advance women’s football.

Roberts is a Cape Town-based writer