Palace Super Falcons Women's Academy

Football world cup: African women make their mark, against all odds

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Friday, August 4, 2023

That’s three of the top 10 teams from the Fifa world rankings out in the group stage, and the US only runners-up in their group.

Key Points:

That’s three of the top 10 teams from the Fifa world rankings out in the group stage, and the US only runners-up in their group.
This is the first time that three African teams have made it to the second round and a great indicator that the quality of the game is improving.
African teams, among other non-traditional power houses like Colombia and Jamaica, have indeed showed up to unsettle any pre-tournament expectations.

This sets up a mouth-watering clash with France, who are in devastating form.
Out of the eight debutantes in Australia and New Zealand, the Atlas Lionesses are the last women standing.
The Moroccan government also deserves credit for investment in a football academy that seeks to produce international quality footballers from both boys and girls.

One player who has stood out is Thembi Kgatlana, who has scored twice and assisted on two goals.
The reward for South Africa’s progress is a clash with the Netherlands.

The team has surpassed expectations in an extremely difficult Group B to qualify for the last 16 for a second consecutive World Cup.
The underdog Super Falcons drew with Canada 0-0, beat Australia 3-2 and drew with Republic of Ireland 0-0 to emerge runners-up in Group B.
In the process, they edged out the current Olympic champions, Canada, at the group stage of the tournament.

Zambia have departed the stage with heads held high as they finished third in their group after beating Costa Rica 3-1.
The self-belief and confidence, as well as the technical and tactical astuteness displayed by the African teams, shows that their opponents cannot take them lightly.

Retrieved on:

Friday, July 28, 2023

The women’s Netball World Cup, which also took place in Australia that year, did not feature in its preparations because it was deemed “low risk”.

Key Points:

The women’s Netball World Cup, which also took place in Australia that year, did not feature in its preparations because it was deemed “low risk”.
By the time the FIFA Women’s World Cup was held in France in 2019, however, the football governing body was not taking any chances.
Many of these competitions lack key integrity protections like bet monitoring and athlete education, making them vulnerable targets for match-fixers.

For this year’s World Cup, several members of the Nigerian women’s team, the Super Falcons, were contemplating a boycott of their first match due to a pay dispute.
Nigeria’s opponent in its opening game, Canada, was also involved in a pay dispute with its federation, as were Jamaica and South Africa.

It took another four years before the Professional Footballers Australia, the players’ union, and Football Australia were able to sign a new collective bargaining agreement, which would guarantee an equal split of all commercial revenue between the men’s and women’s national teams.
The union believes this won’t address the inequity created by FIFA, which it could right with a stroke of the pen.
They have particularly highlighted the need for union representation and collective bargaining agreements that guarantee minimum standards and pay.
If these recommendations are implemented internationally, it will go a long way to supporting the women’s game and strengthening integrity.