By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
Thirty-three years after the introduction of women’s football in the continent, the game is fast taking roots in the four regions of Africa as unknown to many, two of the four top finishers in the last Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco also played in the final round of the just concluded Paris Olympics Women’s Football Tournament CAF qualifiers.
The countries are Nigeria which finished fourth; 3rd-placed team Zambia; runners-up Morocco and the reigning champions South Africa which completed Africa’s top four nations that went ahead to represent the continent in the last FIFA Women’s World Cup final in Australia and New Zealand.
For the forthcoming Paris Olympics women’s football event, nine-time African champions Nigeria eliminated South Africa in the final round over two legs tie played on April 5 at Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja and Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on April 9, 2024 which ended on 1-0 and 0-0 respectively as Nigeria qualified on 1-0 aggregate.
Elsewhere, Zambia edged hard-fighting Morocco as the Copper Queens handed an emphatic 2-0 defeat to hosts Morocco at Prince Moulay EL Hassan stadium in Rabat on April 9 to book their second Olympics ticket although they lost the first leg match 1-2 in Ndola on April 5 to qualify on 3-2 aggregate scoreline.
A closer look at the four finalists in both WAFCON and 2024 Paris Olympics Women’s Football Tournament CAF qualifiers showed that both Zambia and Morocco have come of age and can challenge the African ”Big Ladies” like Super Falcons Of Nigeria; Banyana Banyana of South Africa; Black Queens of Ghana and Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon as well as two-time WAFCON champions Equatorial Guinea.
Indeed, the Atlas Lionesses of Morocco and Zambia have become a force to reckon with in women’s football in Africa and will be aiming to also become winners of WAFCON trophy sooner than later if their performances in 2022 edition in Morocco and in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup are anything to rely upon.
Specifically, Morocco and Zambia showed Nigeria and South Africa which also reached the final round of Paris Olympics CAF qualifiers that they can be ruthless away as they were at home when the WAFCON top four joined three others Cameroon, Tunisia and Botswana in the second round in the race for Paris Olympics ticket which started on October 25, 2023.
Zambia like Morocco was drawn with Mali in the second round but the Malians withdrew from participation as the Copper Queens qualified for the third round without kicking a ball to face Black Queens of Ghana and the Zambians went to Accra on February 23, 2024 to pip their hosts 1-0 and completed the task in Ndola after the return leg finished 3-3 to qualify for the final round on 4-3 aggregate.
Morocco was in fine form after dispatching Namibia 2-0 away and 2-0 at home to qualify for the third round just as Morocco on February 23, 2024 went to
Stade municipal de Soliman to beat Tunisia 2-1 before thrashing the hapless Tunisians Morocco 4-1 to qualify for the final round against Zambia on 6-2 aggregate.
In the final round double-header, the Atlas Lionesses of Morocco jolted the Copper Queens in Ndola by defeating their hosts 2-1 away to set up feisty return match in Rabat three days later in the Olympics ticket clash which went in Zambia’s favour after Zambia thrashed Morocco 2-0 to qualify for Paris Olympics on 3-2 aggregate.
In the other hand, Nigeria and South Africa navigated their ways to the final round although from different routes as Africa’s Numbers 1 and 2 teams brushed aside their two opponents before meeting in the final round over two legs played in April, 2014.
Nigeria started the race with a 1-1 away draw against the Lucy’s of Ethiopia at Abebe Bekila Stadium in Addis Ababa but the Super Falcons who prosecuted the double-header without the substantive head coach Randy Waldrum stepped up at Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja walloping Ethiopia 4-0 in the return leg tie to qualify on 5-1 aggregate, thanks to interim coach Justin Madugu and his assistants Ann Agumanu-Chiejine and Auwal Makwalla.
The indigenous coaches also led the Super Falcons to defeat Cape Verde in the final round of 2024 WAFCON qualifiers double-header in the absence of Waldrum who stayed away from both the Paris Olympics second round ties against Ethiopia and Cape Verde WAFCON matches responsibility.
But Waldrum was to return to led Super Falcons to play out 0-0 draw in the first leg tie away to Cameroon before edging the Indomitable Lionesses 1-0 in the return leg tie in Abuja on February 26 2024 to qualify for the final round on 1-0 aggregate courtesy of Esther Okoronkwo’s 15′ goal at
Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
South Africa, on the other hand negotiated a tough bend starting with an away 1-1 draw with DR Congo in Kinshasa before dispatching the Congolese 2-0 in Johannesburg five days later to qualify on 3-1 aggregate.
In the third round, South Africa became more clinical by travelling to Dar es Salaam on February 23, 2024 to thrash Tanzania 3-0 and later defeated the Tanzanians 1-0 in the return leg at Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela to qualify for the final round
on 4-0 aggregate.
However, Nigeria prevailed over South Africa in the final round over two legs with the first leg in Abuja on April 5, 2024 ending 1-0 in favour of Nigeria courtesy of a 43rd minute penalty goal scored by Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade while the return leg winner takes-all match at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on April 9 ended in a stalemate with Nigeria picking the Olympics ticket on 1-0 aggregate.
It is therefore not a big surprise that two countries (Nigeria and Zambia) out of four nations that finished in the top four in the 2022 WAFCON and who went ahead to represent Africa in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final in Australia and New Zealand also picked the two available tickets to represent CAF in the 2024 Paris Olympics Women’s Football Tournament.
The two countries flying the African flag in Paris Olympics are however condemned to be worthy ambassadors by not becoming the “whipping girls” (whipping boys) of their group opponents.
Already, Nigeria has been drawn in tough Group C alongside World champions Spain, who will play at the Olympics for the first time; Japan and Brazil while Zambia is in group B alongside giants United States of America, Australia and Germany.
