South Africa: The Latest Edition of the CAF Champions League Showcased the Growth of Women's Soccer

@CAFwomen / X / screenshot
Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies reclaimed the CAF Women's Champions League following a convincing 3-0 victory over Sporting Casablanca at Stade Amadou Gon Coulibaly on Sunday November 19, 2023.
20 November 2023
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
analysis By Yanga Sibembe

Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies capped off a stellar CAF Champions League campaign by trouncing Morocco's Sporting Casablanca 3-0 in the final on Sunday night. The quality of soccer at the tournament bodes well for the future.

Sport is just another form of entertainment. Similarly to all the outlets that humans use to temporarily disengage from reality, it is important for sport to constantly evolve to keep the product sustainable and appealing to the masses.

If the type of soccer on display at the recently concluded CAF Women's Champions League is a barometer of the future of women's soccer on the continent, it is bright.

Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies led the way with the silky and fluid play that saw them reach a third consecutive final in the continental club competition, which was also being played for a third season since its inception in 2021.

Banyana Ba Style brushed aside Morocco's Sporting Casablanca 3-0 in the final, which was played in front of a decent crowd at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo, Ivory Coast.

With that emphatic victory, courtesy of a brace by tournament top scorer Refilwe Tholakele and a strike by playmaker Boitumelo Rabale, Sundowns took their Champions League title haul to two from three tournaments. In the 2022 decider, they were upstaged 4-0 by this season's bronze medallists - Asfar of Morocco.

Giant strides

In the Ivory Coast-hosted third edition, the serial South...

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