By Harry Awurumibe in Cape Coast, GHANA
The qualification of defending Champion of Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON), Nigeria and West African sister country, Mali, for the semi final stage of the on-going football fiesta in Ghana has clearly shown that the sub region is the power house of the beautiful game.
For quite some time now, West African countries have shown consistency in the biannial continental women’s football competition involving eight of the over two hundred nations of Africa. Teams from the Western part of Africa have always finished on the podium especially Nigeria, a country that hosted and won the maiden edition called Africa Women Championship (AWC) in 1998.
Nigeria’s Super Falcons under coach Ismaila Mabo beat the Indomitable Lionnesses of Cameroon in the final at MKO Abiola stadium, Abeokuta, Ogun state to lift the trophy. Democratic Republic of Congo picked the bronze medal after triumphing in the third placed match of the very first competition. Seven countries took part as Mozambique, the eight nation withdrew because of financial and political issues.
The competition which took place in two Nigerian cities of Kaduna and Abeokuta featured Egypt, Morocco, Ghana, Cameroon, South Africa, DR Congo and Nigeria.
Since the1998 maiden edition, Nigeria and Ghana have always reached the knock out stage of AWCON with Nigeria winning an unprecedented eight times out of ten editions excluding the two times Nigeria was the sole representative of Africa at the first FIFA Women’s World Cup final in China in 1991 and four years later in 1995 in Sweden respectively.
The only two times Nigeria failed to win the cup was when Equatorial Guinea hosted and won in 2008 and 2012. No other country outside these two has won the cup again.
In fact, the women’s continental football fiesta has almost become a Nigerian event as Super Falcons has converted the trophy to a “Personal Property” and not that of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) which organizes the competition.
Indeed, Nigeria retired the first ever glittering AWC cup donated to CAF by Nigeria’s ex- First Lady, Her Excellency, Mrs. Maryam Sani Abacha in 1998, after the Super Falcons lifted it in 1998, 2000 and 2002. Thereafter, CAF replaced the trophy with another gold-plated cup which Nigeria has again monopolized by winning it five more times and gunning for another with two matches at hand in Ghana.
Although current host, Ghana crashed out in the Group stage, the Black Queens have always qualified for AWCON and had finished in the medals table with the last one being their Third Position finish two years ago in Cameroon. But Ghana’s loss has become the gains of Mali, another West African country. Mali shocked Ghana 3-2 in the second match of Group A in Accra, a defeat which technically contributed to the elimination of Ghana.
Mali has shown tenacity in the three matches played so far and cause their opponents- South Africa in the semi final some problems on their good day with star player, Bassira banging in goals for the side. Nigeria on her own part is a tough customer for Cameroon in another semi final in Accra.
However South Africa and Cameroon will try to break the hoodoo in Ghana but Nigeria and Mali have a chance to show that West Africa can host and retain the trophy as the Super Falcons are looking better with each match hitting Zambia and Eq. Guinea 4-0 and 6-0 in the Group B ties in Cape Coast to qualify for the semi final show down with Cameroon on Tuesday.
Mali will battle South Africa in the other semi final match in Cape Coast. It remains to be seen if it will be all West African final on Saturday, December 1, in Accra or West versus South or Central African Region where Cameroon falls in. Time will tell.
