Don’t tell anyone, but Banyana Banyana begin their defence of the Women’s African Cup of Nations (Wafcon) title they won in 2022 against Ghana at the Olympic Stadium in Oujda tomorrow.
You might not know if you were in, say, Tangier or Fez, that a continental football championship kicked off in Rabat last night, with a game between the hosts and Zambia.
Instead, in the British Square Garden, a bar on the first floor of the Hotel Batha in Fez, the women’s Euros have been beamed to the expat clientele in the past few days. Signs of Wafcon are hard to find, maybe because people are focused on staying alive in temperatures that do not dip below the mid-30s in most parts of this parched country at this time of year.
Whose bright idea was it to play football here and now, anyway?
Probably that of Mohammed VI, the king of Morocco, who has become an enthusiastic supporter of all things African football. It helps that he pays many of the bills.
The 2022 tournament was the first of a hat-trick of Wafcons to be played here. Morocco will also host the men’s Africa Cup of Nations in December and, of course, the 2030 World Cup — along with Spain and Portugal. Local hopes for the World Cup are as high as the tallest minarets — Morocco did after all reach the semifinals in Qatar in 2022.
Small wonder the labyrinth lanes of the medinas are strewn with intensely focused little boys kicking a ball about. You could inadvertently become an impromptu goalpost or even a defender as you wander around hoping your phone is taking you to the right place.
But where are the little girls?
Morocco’s women’s team, Banyana’s opponents in the final three years ago, draw vast crowds. Sadly, their future generation do not seem as inspired as their male counterparts to get out there and show what they’ve got. But that could be a misreading of what remains a conservative society.
Despite their status, Banyana have been based in Oujda, a small city in the interior, some 500km east of Rabat. The upside is that they don’t have to move, a privilege also afforded only the Moroccans and Nigerians. The remaining nine teams will travel.
Banyana’s other group games in Group C are against Tanzania on Friday and Mali next Monday. All three of their opponents will have to put up with an hour’s drive from Berkane to Oujda.
That doesn’t mean the champions will have it easy. They’ve already emerged successfully from their now customary player strike — this time over unpaid match fees — and did we mention the heat?
Also, Banyana’s chances of repeating their feat of three years ago have been written off far and wide. Nigeria, Morocco or Zambia seem to be on everyone’s lips as winners-in-waiting.
But South Africans tuning in from home tomorrow won’t think about any of the above. They will want to see a win. It’s the first time the Ghanaians have contested a Wafcon in six years, but they are probably Banyana’s toughest opponents in their group. “I can see the players are focused on what we need to do on the day when the Ghana game comes,” said Banyana midfielder Noxolo Cesane.
“We’re all on the same page, in that we are not stressed about the other teams but more interested in what we need to do. We don’t need to change a lot of things.”
But much could change. Banyana’s 2022 triumph earned the South African Football Association $500,000. This year’s prize for the winners is double that.
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