Sudanese women footballers celebrate takeoff despite defeats

 

Sudan’s women’s football team are counting their blessings after overcoming tough challenges and barriers to at least begin the idea of playing the game.

“The girls are still taking their very first steps in international football,” said coach Salma al-Majidi, training the team that was formed just last year.

A few years ago, the prospect of a Sudanese women’s national team was inconceivable, given the strict policing of social mores under the hardline Islamist regime of deposed autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

But within months of his ouster in 2019, and on the back of mass protests against his rule, Sudan launched its first women’s football tournament. In 2021, Sudan’s first women’s national team was born.

The team has since taken part in the Arab Women’s Cup 2021, playing against Egypt, Tunisia and Lebanon.

It also played against Algeria, but it has yet to claim any victories, including in its latest two games against South Sudan.

“They have much less experience than the other teams,” Majidi told AFP after a friendly with neighbouring South Sudan in February, which Sudan lost 6-0. “But their performance is getting better.” In a second friendly against South Sudan later last month, Sudan lost again, 3-0.

Majidi blamed the team’s loss in the latest matches in part on the disruption of practice due to anti-coup demonstrations.

Mass protests have regularly rocked the country, claiming at least 85 lives since a military coup in October led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Among other things, the coup resulted in one of their matches with Algeria being cancelled after it was set to take place on October 26  the day after the military power-grab.

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“We could not prepare properly,” said Majidi. “And it has recently become hard to practise on a regular basis.”

Majidi has faced a tough challenge before. She was also the first Arab woman to coach a men’s football team, including several of Sudan’s second league men’s clubs.