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Sudan women's national football team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the women's team. For the men's team, see Sudan national football team.

Sudan
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)The Challenge
AssociationSudan Football Association
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationCECAFA
(East & Central Africa)
Top scorerRawan Abdelmoneim
Rayan Ragab (1)
FIFA codeSDN
FIFA ranking
CurrentNR (10 December 2021)[1]
First international
 Egypt 10–0 Sudan 
(Cairo, Egypt; 24 August 2021)[2]
Biggest defeat
 Algeria 14–0 Sudan 
(Algiers, Algeria; 20 October 2021)
The Challenge, the inofficial national women's football team in Sudan, as pictured in 2018

The Sudan women's national football team is the official football team for women in Sudan, supported by the Sudan Football Association. As their first international competition, the team qualified for the 2021 Arab Women's Cup, organized by the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) in Cairo, Egypt.

Only after the Sudanese revolution of 2018–19 had abolished the former public order laws, women have been able to officially participate in sports such as football.[3] In September 2019, a women's league with 21 teams from different cities in Sudan was established, with Wala'a Essam al-Boushi, the Sudanese Minister of Youth and Sport saying the transitional government will "make women's sports one of the pillars of the country's development."[4]

History[]

Background[]

Women's football in Africa in general faces many challenges, including limited access to education, poverty amongst women and fundamental inequalities that also for have been seen as causes of female specific human rights abuses.[5] At the same time, when female players in Africa have become successful, some leave their home countries to seek greater opportunities in places such as Europe or the United States.[6][7] Funding for women's football in Africa is also an issue; most of the funding for women's football and for the women's national teams comes from FIFA, not the national football association.[7]

The Sudan Football Association, which was founded in 1946, and FIFA affiliated in 1948,[8] was one of the founding members of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and continues to be a member of the Confederation.[9] In 2006, there were 440 men's clubs for football in Sudan.[10] In November 2011, a female association member, Laila Khalid from Palestine, attended a meeting in South Africa where women's football was discussed, specifically mentioning the problems faced in growing the game in Africa.[6]

Sudan is one of the Muslim countries in the region to have a women's league. Before its first official women's football league was organized in September 2019, there had been several women's teams in major cities such as Khartoum. Under the so-called Public order laws of the Islamist governments of the time, these teams were formed a few years before 2019 in an unofficial way, received no support by the Sudan Football Association and had to train and play under difficult conditions.[3] Women's sports like football were also restricted, because a fatwa (religious ruling) by the Islamic Fiqh Council in 2006 condemned the creation of a women's league in Sudan.[11] Further, common social attitudes towards women do not favour women in sports, and support by their families is an important requirement for them.[12]

In the mainly Christian southern part of Sudan in 2006, the local government indicated their support of women's football, and a competition with teams from all the ten states of modern-day South Sudan was organized in the southern region's capital, Juba.[13][14] Following the independence of South Sudan in 2011, a women's national football team was created the same year.[15] Further and responding to the interest in women's football matches in Arab-speaking countries, the rights to broadcast the 2011 Women's World Cup were bought by Al Jazeera.[16]

Beginnings of women's football since the early 2000s[]

According to a 2011 study of the relationship between religious fundamentalism and globalized societies, the fact that some Sudanese women already had started playing football since the early 2000s despite social and legal restrictions was considered a critical step for the development of an unofficial women's league.[17] As part of this informal league, a first national women's team called "The Challenge" was created in 2006 in Khartoum.[12] Different from other teams that demanded players to wear headscarfs and long trousers, the players of the Challenge did not cover their heads or wear long clothes. At the time, all women's football clubs were not recognised, nor received support from the Sudan Football Association.[17][18] In 2006, the Challenge played its first competitive match. It was captained by Sara Edward and played against a team from Sudan University that wore clothes corresponding to Islamic norms. As reported, the quality of play was not high and the game ended in a 2–0 win for the Challenge team.[19][20] By 2009, there were ten senior women's teams, a school-based competition and a regional competition were established.[21][22] Young girls informally also have been playing the game in refugee camps in the Darfur region.[23][24]

In response to a question from FIFA regarding the feasibility of creating a women's national team in 2012,[25] the Islamic Fiqh Council issued another fatwa against the creation of a women's soccer team, deeming it an immoral act.[6] The fatwa claimed that football is a men's sport and women should not participate in it, because it challenges the differences between men and women.[26]

Recognition in 2019[]

Following the establishment of a women's league in 2019 with 21 teams from different cities under the new transitional government, the Sudan Football Association recognized and started to support women's local and national teams.[4] As of 2021, Sudan's women's national team continued to lack FIFA recognition.[8][27] By August of that year, however, it had been recognized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and was invited to participate in the 2021 Arab Women's Cup.[28]

In popular media[]

The 2019 award-winning documentary Khartoum Offside by Sudanese filmmaker Marwa Zein[29] tells the story of the women who made up 'The Challenge' team under the Islamist government of the time.[30]

Participation in international games[]

Results and fixtures[]

Main article: Sudan women's national football team results

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Source: goalzz.com

Legend

  Win   Draw   Lose   Fixture

2021[]

24 August 2021 (2021-08-24) Arab Women's Cup GS Group A Egypt  10–0  Sudan Cairo, Egypt
17:00 UTC+2
  • Ghazi GoalGoalGoalGoal
  • Gomaa Goal
  • Tarek Goal
  • Salem Goal
  • El Zayat Goal
  • Adam Goal
  • Elmitwalli Goal
 Report (UAFAAC)
Report (SW)		 Stadium: Police Academy Stadium
Referee: Doumouh Al Bakkar (Lebanon)
27 August 2021 (2021-08-27) Arab Women's Cup GS Group A Sudan  1–12  Tunisia Cairo, Egypt
17:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Police Academy Stadium
Referee: Haneen Murad (Jordan)
30 August 2021 (2021-08-30) Arab Women's Cup GS Group A Lebanon  5–1  Sudan Cairo, Egypt
21:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Police Academy Stadium
Referee: Khuloud Al-Zaabi (United Arab Emirates)
20 October 2021 (2021-10-20) 2022 AFWCON qualification First round 1st leg Algeria  14–0  Sudan Algiers, Algeria
 Report Stadium: Omar Hamadi Stadium
Referee: Asma Chouchane (Tunisia)
Postponed[note 1] 2022 AFWCON qualification First round 2nd leg Sudan  v  Algeria Omdurman, Sudan
Report Stadium: Al Hilal Stadium

Coaching staff[]

Current coaching staff[]

As of 9 August 2021
Position Name Ref.
Head coach Sudan [33]
Assistant coach Sudan
Goalkeeping coach Sudan
Physical coach Sudan

Manager history[]

As of 9 August 2021
  • Sudan (2021–)

Players[]

Main article:
See also: Category: Sudan women's international footballers
See also:

Current squad[]

The following players were called up for the 2021 Arab Women's Cup.[34]

  • caps and goals
As of 10 October 2021 , caps still need check
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK 0 Sudan
1GK 0 Sudan
1GK 0 Sudan El Hilal El Obeid
2DF (2000-10-02) 2 October 2000 (age 21) 0 Sudan
2DF (1988-11-10) 10 November 1988 (age 33) 0 Sudan
2DF (1995-12-11) 11 December 1995 (age 26) 0 Sudan
2DF (1999-01-30) 30 January 1999 (age 22) 0 Sudan
2DF 0 Sudan
2DF (1996-10-28) 28 October 1996 (age 25) 0 Sudan
2DF 0 Sudan
3MF 0 Sudan
3MF (1987-11-10) 10 November 1987 (age 34) 0 Sudan
3MF Rawan Samer Abdelmoneim (1999-04-30) 30 April 1999 (age 22) 1 Sudan
3MF (1990-07-31) 31 July 1990 (age 31) 0 Sudan
3MF 0 Sudan
3MF 0 Sudan
3MF 0 Sudan
4FW Rayan Ibrahim Ahmed Ragab (1993-01-01) 1 January 1993 (age 28) 1 Sudan
4FW 0 Sudan
4FW 0
4FW 0 Sudan
4FW 0 Sudan

Recent call-ups[]

The following players have been called up to the squad in the past 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up

INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
PRE Preliminary squad.
SUS Player is serving a suspension.
WD Player withdrew for personal reasons.

Records[]

*Active players in bold, statistics correct as of 26 August 2021.

Competitive record[]

FIFA Women's World Cup[]

FIFA Women's World Cup record
Year Round GP W D* L GS GA GD
China 1991 to Canada 2015 Did not exist
France 2019 Did not enter
AustraliaNew Zealand 2023 To be determined
Total 0/1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Africa Women Cup of Nations[]

Africa Women Cup of Nations record
Year Round GP W D* L GS GA GD
1991 to Namibia 2014 Did not exist
Cameroon 2016 to Ghana 2018 Did not enter
2020 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
Morocco 2022 To be determined
Total 0/2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

All−time record against FIFA recognized nations[]

The list shown below shows the Sudan national football team all−time international record against opposing nations.
*As of 20 October 2021 after match against  Algeria.

Key
  Positive balance (more wins than losses)
  Neutral balance (as many wins as losses)
  Negative balance (more losses than wins)
Against Pld W D L GF GA GD Confederation
 Algeria 1 0 0 1 0 14 -14 CAF
 Tunisia 1 0 0 1 1 12 -11 CAF
 Egypt 1 0 0 1 0 10 -10 CAF
 Lebanon 1 0 1 0 1 5 -4 AFC

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Originally to be played on 26 October 2021 at the Al Hilal Stadium in Omdurman, the Sudan v Algeria match was postponed due to security concerns following the October 2021 Sudanese coup d'état.[31][32]

References[]

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  2. ^ "افتتاح كأس العرب للسيدات.. منتخب مصر يفوز على منتخب السودان وتعادل سلبي بين منتخبي تونس ولبنان" (in Arabic). 25 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Sudan's First Female Football Stars Push for Women's Rights". www.voanews.com. 8 December 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Women's soccer league kicks off in post-Bashir Sudan". Reuters. 2 October 2019.
  5. ^ Jean Williams (15 December 2007). A Beautiful Game: International Perspectives on Women's Football. Berg. p. 186. ISBN 978-1-84520-674-1. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  6. ^ a b c "Sudan's Islamic Fiqh Council bans formation of womens soccer team". Sudan Tribune. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  7. ^ a b Gabriel Kuhn (24 February 2011). Soccer Vs. the State: Tackling Football and Radical Politics. PM Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-60486-053-5. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  8. ^ a b FIFA (2006). "Women's Football Today" (PDF): 184. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2012. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ^ Saavedra, Martha E. "Women's Football in the Horn of Africa" (PDF). African Women's Football in the Global Sports Arena. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  10. ^ Tom Dunmore (16 September 2011). Historical Dictionary of Soccer. Scarecrow Press. pp. 568–569. ISBN 978-0-8108-7188-5. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  11. ^ "الرياضة النسائية .."1"". Alintibaha.net. 23 June 2011. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2012. وبين يدي فتوى أخرى صادرة عن ذات مجمع الفقه الإسلامي حول تكوين فرق نسائية لكرة القدم ... بالإشارة إلى استفتائك بتاريخ: 5/ يناير2012م عن الموضوع أعلاه، وسؤالك عن: هل يجوز تكوين فرق نسائية لكرة القدم تنافس في إفريقيا وآسيا وأوربا استجابة لتوجيه «الفيفا» التي تطلب منا ذلك: نفيدك بأن الدائرة المختصة بالمجمع قد درست هذا الموضوع، وأجابت عنه بالآتي: ... ثانياً: وعليه فإن تكوين فرق نسائية لكرة القدم لتلعب خارج السودان في إفريقيا وآسيا وأروبا لا شك أولى بالحظر والمنع، فهو أكثر مفسدة ... الثاً: إن طلب «الفيفا» تكوين هذه الفرق لا يصلح دليلاً لجواز الممنوع، ولا رافعاً لحكم الشريعة
  12. ^ a b Naib, Fatima (3 May 2015). "Tackling taboos: Women's football in Sudan". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  13. ^ "TEXT- Salava Kiir statement before South Sudan parliament". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  14. ^ "Girls football kicks off in Sudan". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  15. ^ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "CAFOnline.com". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  16. ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup Germany 2011TM Media Rights Licensees" (PDF). FIFA. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  17. ^ a b Ulrika Mårtensson; Jennifer Bailey (19 July 2011). Fundamentalism in the Modern World Vol 2: Fundamentalism and Communication: Culture, Media and the Public Sphere. I.B. Tauris. pp. 320–325. ISBN 978-1-84885-331-7. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  18. ^ Northcroft, Jonathan (3 June 2007). "Big game hunters". The Sunday Times. London, England. p. 12. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  19. ^ "Sudanese women play first competitive soccer". Sudan Tribune. 24 February 2006. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  20. ^ فتيات كرة القدم السودانية يبحثن عن ملاعب ومخرج لورطتهن (in Arabic). Sudaneseinphilly.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  21. ^ "Goal! Football: Sudan" (PDF). FIFA. 21 April 2009. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  22. ^ "South Sudan prepares for East African sports competitions". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  23. ^ "Desperation leads Darfur children to take aid workers hostage". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  24. ^ "Sudan's neglected nightmare". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  25. ^ فتوى بتحريم الكرة النسائية فى السودان (in Arabic). January 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  26. ^ شبكة المشكاة الإسلامية (in Arabic). Meshkat.net. 16 February 2012. Archived from the original on 21 February 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  27. ^ "Women's Ranking". origin1904-p.cxm.fifa.com. Retrieved 28 August 2021.[dead link]
  28. ^ "Arab Women's Cup 2021 set to kick off in Cairo". Arab News. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  29. ^ "Marwa Zein". IMDb. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  30. ^ "Review: Khartoum Offside". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  31. ^ "Sudan – Algeria: the Greens will not play their return match". california18.com. CA18. 26 October 2021.
  32. ^ "Media Statement on TotalEnergies Women's Africa Cup of Nations: Sudan vs Algeria". CAF. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  33. ^ "ضمن بطولة كأس العرب للسيدات وفي اول ظهور دولي له.. منتخبنا للسيدات يواجه منتخب مصر". Red-castle.net. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  34. ^ "كأس العرب للسيدات | نبذة تعريفية عن منتخب السودان". Facebook. UAFA. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.

External links[]

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