By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
Today, the fourth edition of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Women’s Champions League will officially get underway in two Moroccan cities of Casablanca and El Jadida, as eight elite clubs contend for Africa’s most prestigious women’s club football competition.
This is even as Nigeria’s representatives in the 2024 edition and West African Football Union (WAFU-B) champions, Edo Queens have since landed safely in the commercial city of Casablanca for the competition which will hold from November 9 to November 23 in the two selected stadia namely Mohamed El Abdi, El Jadida and Laarbi Zaouli, Casablanca respectively.
Also, in Morocco for the tournament are host club AS FAR (Morocco); Cup holders Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa); University of the Western Cape (UWC) Women’s FC (COSAFA); FC Masar of Egypt (UNAF); Aigles de la Médina of Senegal (WAFU-A); Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) (CECAFA) and DR Congo’s Tout Puissant Mazembe, commonly referred to as TP Mazembe (UNIFFAC).
The eight teams are divided into two Groups A and B with host team AS FAR, TP Mazembe, UWC and Aigles de la Médina competing in Group A while Group B features Mamelodi Sundowns, Edo Queens, CBE and FC Masar.
Interestingly, defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns and host club AS FAR are participating for the 4th time as each have won the trophy before while five clubs are making their first appearance in the competition just as only TP Mazembe is participating for the second time.
The five debutantes who will get their baptism of fire this weekend are Edo Queens, UWC, CBE, Aigles de la Médina and FC Masar.
All is set for the opening match between TP Mazembe and newcomers UWC from South Africa and the COSAFA champions who are poised to take to pitch by 3pm local time with the must-watch match coming up later today between AS FAR and first-timers Aigles de la Médina of Senegal.
Led by a female coach, Mbayang Thiam, Aigles de la Medina has huge task against former champions, AS FAR when they open their CAF Women’s Champions League account today, although the coach is confident that her eagles can soar over tournament favourites, AS FAR when they clash this evening.
However, all eyes are on Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) and WAFU-B reigning champions, Edo Queens when they meet with CECAFA champions CBE of Ethiopia in the second match of tomorrow’s (Sunday) fixtures in the battle of two debutantes.
Ordinarily, a team from Nigeria should not worry much about their counterparts from Ethiopia and East Africa but timeshare changed as Nigeria has lost the fear factor in the recent time because no Nigerian club has won the CAF Women’s Champions League trophy since its birthing with South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns winning twice and AS FAR of Morocco lifting it once.
The farthest a Nigerian club has gone in the competition introduced in 2020 by CAF after consulting with some African women’s football aficionados including this writer (Harry Awurumibe) who made an imput at a closed-doors meeting with CAF officials in Accra, Ghana prior to the final of CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) finals in 2018 which was the last time Nigeria won it, was the third place finish of Bayelsa Queens in the CAF Women’s Champions League second edition in 2022.
Sadly, Rivers Angels which represented Nigeria as second team from WAFU-B alongside Sekondi Hasaacas Ladies of Ghana in the 2021 edition crashed out in the group stage while Nigeria’s champions in 2023, Delta Queens of Asaba did not qualify for the third edition after the club was defeared in the WAFU-B finals held in Benin City, Edo state of Nigeria last year.
The 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League is the fourth edition of the competition which is growing in leaps and bound with Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies of South Africa clinching the titles in 2021 and 2023 while AS FAR of Morocco emerged as winners in 2022 on home soil and is hosting the competition for the second time.
The above scenario makes the participation of Edo Queens a big project in the eyes of Nigerian football followers who are wondering why the club competition has eluded clubs from the country that has won the most prestigious national team competition WAFCON trophy a record 11 times courtesy of Super Falcons unprecedented achievements in the African continent in the past three decades.
For this reason, Nigerians will like to see Edo Queens go all the way and crown their impressive season with the elusive CAF Women’s Champions League trophy in Morocco this time around after Rivers Angels and Bayelsa Queens FC hzve failed short in the earlier editions in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Luckily, Edo Queens boasts of a strong squad, experienced head coach and above all well financed by the outgoing Edo state governor Godwin Obaseki whose government has never starved the club of funds to take care of the welfare of the players and officials.
On paper, the Benin-City club look more solid than Nigeria’s two previous representatives to bring home the trophy and become the first Nigerian club to do so in four editions of the competition but they will have to dispatch their first opponents from the CECAFA region and Ethiopian champions CBE tomorrow to pick the three points at stake.
To qualify for Morocco, CBE defeated Kenya Police Bullets in a hard fought final inspired by their most feared player, Senaf Wakuma who had a great season domestically also and she will be complimented by Msay Temesgen who will be another vital player in the squad.
To the advantage of Edo Queens, since qualifying for their first CAF Women’s Champions League appearance, CBE have not been very active as they have not started Ethiopian Women’s League, although the team has been training very hard and looking forward to the challenge ahead.
Like in Ethiopia, women’s football league is yet to start in Nigeria and Edo Queens like CBE are not playing league games but only making up with participating in off-season competitions like the Betsy Obaseki Annual Women’s Football Tournament held recently in Benin City. The home team finished in the third position.
Despite not playing regularly, the team will be highly motivated by CAF announcement on Thursday that all eight participating teams will receive $150, 000 (equivalent to N89m) as the Prize Money for qualifying for the competition in Morocco.
The competition has seen an increase in participation fees over four years especially under the leadership of CAF President, Dr. Patrice Motsepe as this year’s prize money has increased by 52% to USD 2,350,000.
A breakdown of the Prize Money for the CAF Women’s Champions League Morocco 2024 are as follows:
1.Winner: USD 600,000 2.Runner up:USD 400,000
3.3rd Place: USD 350,000
4.4th Place: USD 300,000,
5.3rd of the Group: USD 200,000 each,
6.4th of the Group: USD 150,000 each.
According to CAF, it is committed to developing and growing Women’s Football in Africa even as the objective of President Motsepe is to invest in Youth Academies for boys and girls and to continue increasing the Prize Monies of all CAF Competitions to make them globally competitive and attractive.
With the mouth-watering Prize Money splashed by CAF, Edo Queens are condemned to give the competition their best attempt just as head coach, Moses Aduku, has included no fewer than eight Super Falcons invitees in the recent international friendly matches against Algeria in the 25-player roster for the CAF Women’s Champions League.
They include standout players like striker Folashade Ijamilusi who scored a hat-trick for the Super Falcons against Algeria in Lagos recently; goalkeeper Monle Oyono and defenders Miracle Usani, Blessing Ilivieda and Comfort Folorunsho as well as midfielders Chioma Olise, Amarachi Odoma and forward Goodness Osigwe.
Yet there are other good players such as Vera Samuel, Doria Ohis and highest goalscorer in WAFU-B Championship in Cote d’Ivoire early this year with five goals, striker Emem Essien who was a key figure in Edo Queens’ qualifying campaign.
Not only through her five goals contribution, but her off the ball movement and assists that helped her team in finishing as winners.
Emem’s performance has seen her rated as one of the best attackers and one to watch ahead of the finals in Morocco
From the bench, coach Aduku has instilled discipline and belief in the team as evidently seen in their performance at the qualifiers. His tactical approach and ability to motivate his players was vital and will come in handy when facing off against the best women’s football clubs from across the continent when the tournament officially gets underway this weekend.
In all, Edo Queens’ opening match against CBE tomorrow is crucial to the club’s quest to make it out of Group B which will play its matches except one at Laarbi Zaouli, Casablanca with kick-off off by 6pm local time after Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies clash with FC Masar, also known as Tutankhamun.
Three days later, Nigerian women’s league winners will meet Egypt’s FC Masar before their last group game against Cup holders, Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies on November 16.
The top two teams from the group will qualify for the semi-final to face any of AS FAR FC, Aigles de la Medina, TP Mazembe, or UWC.
*CAF Women’s Champions League Past Winners*
*2021*
Mamelodi 2-0 Hasaacas
Goals: Morifi 33′, Mgcoyi 65′
*2022*
ASFAR 4-0 Mamelodi
Goals: Tagnaout 15′;
Jraïdi 54′, 87′, 90+2
*2023*
Mamelodi 3-0 SCC
Goals: Tholakele 21′, 79′;
Rabale 24′
*2024* ? ? ?
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