The 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is a tournament of firsts, at least in the Arab world but also continentally as the final of Africa’s flagship female competition is played on Saturday.
This continental competition, now in its fourteenth edition, has never been held in the MENA region. However, for most of this month 12 national teams of Africa have been playing in Casablanca and Rabat in Morocco.
There are only two remaining as the tournament is in the final and despite a low-key beginning in terms of excitement and interest, Saturday’s final is attracting huge attention that has surprised the women’s game globally.
The trophy will be waiting for the winner on Saturday when hosts Morocco face South Africa. The nation is expecting something big after record crowds turned up for Monday’s semi-final clash with giants Nigeria.
This is a significant improvement on the 13 previous editions, where Arab teams had virtually no impact on the event and were unable to reach the group stages.
Algeria had only won two of their fifteen previous games, despite having played in five. Egypt and Morocco had only two previous attempts and failed to impress. Tunisia made a brief, but forgettable appearance in 1998.
Tunisia reached the quarterfinals this month and narrowly lost to South Africa 1-0.
Morocco is making history and headlines by reaching the final. Nearly 50,000 people booed Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium during the semi-final victory over Nigeria. More of this will happen later.
For the first time, women’s football appears on the front pages of the country.
This is largely thanks to the untiring ambitions of President of the Moroccan football federation Fouzi Lekjaa as has been are the forefront of the growth of football in the country.
He has assembled best local and foreign brains to champion this vision from coaches to administrators with the person driving the vision being Mouad Hajji, the former general secretary of CAF, who resigned from his post in Cairo to lead the implementation of the football vision of the Arab country.
And it is bearing the fruits faster than expected.
The Tournament
That was made possible by the semi-final. Every tournament requires one great game in the knockout stages, and Morocco’s victory over Nigeria was that. This was the last time that the Atlas Lionesses were on this stage in 2000.
Nigeria has won 11 of the 13 championships. Two Super Falcons players were sent off, despite being strong favourites. It was still 1-1 at the 90-minute mark, leaving Rabat fans elated and convinced.
Chiamaka Nnadozie, Nigeria’s goalkeeper was an inspiration. She made save after save. The penalty shootout ended in a penalty shootout, with Nnadozie seeing green lasers as she was getting ready.
It reminded me of March’s World Cup qualifier, when Senegal fans did similar to Egypt’s penalty-kickers. The image of a green-faced Mohamed Salah was circulated around the globe.
FIFA fined Senegal $180,000. Although it is not something that should be welcomed, these controversies raise the profile and visibility of the tournament.
Many plaudits will be awarded to Ghizlane Chebbak if Morocco makes it all the way. With three goals, the 31-year old is joint top scorer. The Rabat-based 31-year old played her club football and scored in all three group matches, giving the hosts a perfect start.
Tunisia reached the final eight, an impressive performance for their second appearance in the tournament. It was a difficult assignment, and South Africa lost in the final game by a narrow margin. Mariem Houij, the star of the game in Tunisia’s 4-1 win over Togo in its opening match, was responsible for Tunisia finally making it through.
It’s no accident that Morocco’s success is due to the team’s ability to recruit eligible players from Europe and bring in experienced players from some of the most prestigious women’s leagues around the world.
Rosella Ayane, one of the team’s top stars, plays for Tottenham in England. She was a member of England’s youth teams and then represented the Atlas Lionesses because she is a daughter to a Moroccan father. Salma Amani was a member of France’s Under-17 team. Such players bring European experience to the team to complement the local talent.
Tunisia is doing the same. Sabrine Ellouzi, who was born in the Netherlands, plays for Feyenoord. Chirine Lamti is a Czech Republic native and was born in Denmark.
It is amazing to see how an Arab nation can get excited about the women’s soccer. This is the most significant legacy for the Arab world. It was a huge deal that Morocco reached the final.
If the men had been there, the passion and excitement at Rabat’s Rabat stadium would have been even greater. It is fair to say that this field has taken a while for the region.
The past winners of the Africa race include record winners Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea even though South Africa and Cameroon have all played in the final in the past.
There has been very little investment in North Africa and less professionalism, which means that women are not able to make a living playing football. They provide role models for young girls and hopefully inspire them to play football.
Morocco’s women’s team has become a part of the national sporting conservation in a manner that is unprecedented.
No matter what happens, this should not stop. This tournament is more than just about Africa’s champions. It’s about something bigger – the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
There has never been an Arab team to play on the global stage. Reaching the fourth place in WAFCON means that you will be in Australia and New Zealand next season and have the opportunity to face giants like the United States, Japan and Germany.
Morocco has already made, and regardless of what happens in the finals, the team have already booked their spot down under.
The next twelve months will see preparations for the pitch, training camps and friendlies, as well as investment. Media interest will increase, as well as the raising of profile and the addition of more sponsors and fans.
A Saturday win would be a major milestone and make the Arab world’s first female champion continental.
