Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
IN a move aimed at improving women’s football in Africa, men’s teams that do not have a ladies’ side will not be allowed to participate in the Caf Champions League from the 2022/23 season.
Liberian journalist Kla Wesley Jr, who also writes for Cafonline, revealed this new position in a tweet.
“According to Caf club licensing senior manager Muhammad Sidat, a club must have a female team before being allowed to participate in the 2022/23 Caf Champions League and the next editions,” tweeted Wesley Jr.
Caf president Patrice Motsepe vowed to change the complexion of women’s football during his tenure.
“We want women’s football, in the period of my presidency, to be significantly growing, progressing and prospering. Someone was saying to me, we could actually have an African nation winning the Fifa Women’s World Cup before we have a male team doing so,” Motsepe said.
Zifa yesterday welcomed the development and said it would help improve women’s football in the country.
“Our football has undergone a revolution and we now have club licensing, which celebrates a number of things, among them fairness and gender parity. We welcome this development and it is our conviction that it will go a long way in emancipating the girl child and improving women’s football in the country,” said Xolisani Gwesela, Zifa communications and competitions manager.
On the local scene, very few Premier Soccer League sides have women’s teams.
In fact, only three teams, Highlanders, Ngezi Platinum Stars and Black Rhinos are known to have competitive women’s football teams.
Bulawayo City were reportedly keen to adopt a Cowdray Park-based women’s team ahead of the start of the 2020 season, which, however, never saw the light of the day after the outbreak of Covid-19.
Online Reporter