WAFU A Women’s Championship: Cape Verde Off to Flying Start

A brace from Vania Moreira and a goal each from Joseane Fernandes and Sasha Wahnon on Friday helped hosts Cape Verde kick off the 2023 WAFU “A” Women’s Championship with a decisive 4-0 win against Guinea-Bissau at the Marcelo Leitão stadium. 

The female “sharks” had a comfortable 3-0 lead at the break and added one more goal in the second half to win Group A with a perfect record.

Friday’s opener was graced by the president of WAFU-A, Lamine Bajo, accompanied by his counterpart from Cape Verde, Mario Semedo, and Euclides do Rosario, representative of the municipality of the island, who did the kick-off of this second edition.

This competition, according to the organizers, will support the growth of women’s football in the West African region. However, they want to attract more players while also emphasizing the game’s professionalism.

After Liberia and Mali withdrew, only seven of the nine-member associations are still active.

Following discussions with the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS) “for the provision of financial support to various national teams,” the Liberia Football Association (LFA) formally announced Liberia’s withdrawal. However, the Ministry responded by saying “the government is not in the position to provide financial support for the women’s national team to compete in this year’s edition,” local media reported.

This Saturday at 2 p.m. UT or 3 p.m. local time, Senegal will face Guinea, followed by Sierra Leone vs. Gambia at 5 p.m. UT or 6 p.m. local time.