Caf gets tough on Champions League
Confederation of African Football (Caf) is working towards making having women’s teams mandatory for men’s clubs participating in inter-club competitions from next year.
Caf Club Licencing Senior Manager Muhammad Sidat is quoted by www.theherald.co.za as saying the directive is with effect from 2022-23.
“Caf from next year will only allow teams that have female teams to take part in the Caf Champions League and Confederation Cup,” reads part of the online publication’s report.
Malawian teams are expected to face tough times in complying with the requirement as only Ntopwa and Moyale Barracks have competitive women’s teams out of the 16 TNM Super League clubs.
Silver Strikers only discussed establishing a women’s team in the near future during their annual general meeting earlier this year.
Bullets Chief Executive Officer Suzgo Nyirenda said they would comply with the requirement.
“As we strive to achieve 100 percent club licencing compliance, we will need to have our own women’s football team. Strategically, we are targeting next year, having done all the ground work of ensuring that we set up a strong technical panel for the women’s team as well as having a team that will be competitive,” Nyirenda said.
National Women’s Football Association Chairperson Suzgo Ngwira expressed excitement with the development.
“This is a good development and we are happy. It is high time teams started investing in women’s football. This will bring sanity to the women’s game,” Ngwira said.
Football consultant Kelvin Moyo said the requirement is not easy to implement as required.
“This should be a gradual process. Most African teams cannot afford this but it is a good development for growth of the game,” Moyo said.
DD Sunshine, CY Sisters, Blantyre Zero and Skippers are some of the competitive women’s football teams in Malawi.
However, none of the four registered to take part in the Cosafa Zonal qualifiers for the women’s Caf Champions League scheduled for South Africa from August 26 to September 4.
Sunshine, who are bankrolled by Malawi National Women’s Football Team captain Tabitha Chawinga, showed interest but failed to register.
