Ibrahim explains importance of zonal qualifiers for Champions League
The 2021 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League ushers in a new era for women’s football on the continent and will help the game to grow in the coming years, says Confederation of African Football (CAF) fifth vice-president Kanizat Ibrahim.
Ibrahim, who is President of the Women’s Football Organising Committee at CAF, says the COSAFA zonal qualifier for the prestigious event that gets under way in Durban from August 26-September 4, is an important step forward for the game.
“One of the priorities of CAF’s women’s football strategy is to increase the number of competitions for women and girls. The need for this is essential for the growth of women’s football on the continent and to take it forward,” Comorian Ibrahim says.
“The more women play, the better they will perform. In the past we had only one continental women’s competition with eight teams to represent teams from the 54 member associations.
“Today we have increased the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations to 12 teams and at the same time we have introduced the first Club Champions League competition.”
She says the Champions League will have a knock-on effect in domestic leagues, with CAF also introducing licensing requirements around coaches and venues, among other things.
“It will increase strength and competition in our local leagues and motivate member associations to re-enforce and create better structures for women’s football.
“The creation of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League sees the introduction of the first club licensing regulations for women’s football and represents an excellent tool for the development of club football at a continental level.”
She adds that the decision to have zonal qualifiers for the continental finals was based on financial constraints for some clubs and will allow many more teams to participate.
“The zonal tournaments are important for the development of women’s football as they minimise travel costs for teams. These fees are sometimes so high that it discourages clubs from participation.
“That is why CAF has decided to organise zonal qualification, as it will give teams a better chance to qualify for the final tournament by playing several matches against clubs from the same region.”
Ibrahim says CAF are particularly grateful to the COSAFA region for leading the way in the development of women’s football over the past five or so years.
“We must thank COSAFA in particular for its dedication to the development of women’s football. COSAFA has continuously organised competitions and this has elevated women’s football in the zone, which is very important.”
By Benoit Thomas
