CAF releases five strategic focus for Women’s Football

Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde, kick442.com

African football governing body, Confederation of African Football (CAF), has released a strategic focus for Women’s Football Foundation in Africa that focuses on building women’s football foundations, creating clear player career pathways, and professionalizing women’s football.

The five focus areas and pillars include development; competitions; arketing and promotions; professionalism & leadership and social impact.

This strategy serves as a roadmap to guide CAF’s stakeholders on important focus areas between 2020-2023 in terms of women’s football development.

CAF concluded that it will drive into more details for each pillar in the coming weeks.

There has been clamour that men’s football is getting more attention from CAF compared to women’s football as there is no CAF Women’s Champions League and Confederations Cup as obtainable in Europe as African countries continue to struggle at FIFA Women’s World Cup.

It is hoped that this will be a shining light towards better things to come for women’s football in Africa.

Meanwhile, with less than a year before the end of the first mandate of the incumbent CAF president Ahmad Ahmad, there are indications that candidates are already preparing for next year’s elections.

Though he recently indicated that he is not yet thinking about running for the CAF presidency, current Tunisia Football Federation boss Wadii Jarii is preparing the grounds for what promises to be an interesting presidential race.

The experienced football administrator has indicated in a recent television interview that he will hold talks with Tunisian sports authorities before settling on which person between him and current FIFA executive committee member Tarek Bouchamaoui can represent, and win the elections for the presidential seat of CAF.

“I have been at the helm of the Tunisian football federation for eight years,” Jarii told Al Kass. “I know between 75 and 80% of the presidents of the federations. I will talk with them and see my chances being elected.”

This declaration can be interpreted to mean whatever be the situation, there will be a candidate from the North African nation.

This comes barely days after the incumbent, Ahmad told the media that it wasn’t time to discuss his future at the helm of the biggest football institution on the continent.

President Ahmad ended Issa Hayatou’s 29 years hegemony at CAF in March 2017 and his first mandate in the Cairo football glass-house will end next year.

The better part of the last 12 months of his mandate has presented evidence of a crack between him, the faithfuls of his regime and the Tunisian football federation.

Last year’s unceremonious end of the CAF Champions league final hasn’t eased the tension between CAF and Tunisian football family though Esperance were eventually handed the 2019 CAF Champions League trophy. 

That event provoked the absence of Wadii Jarii from July’s CAF General Assembly meeting.

It promises to be an exciting for African football and it’s leadership.—Additional reporting by Angu Lesley, kick442.com