JKT Queens take on Mamelodi in CAF Women’s tournament

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s flag bearers in the CAF Women’s Champions League, JKT Queens, launch their campaign today for winning silverware against Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.

The duel has been scheduled to take place at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo, Ivory Coast, from 11pm Tanzanian time.

The team’s head coach, Bakari Shime, said all his players are in good shape, expecting to come out with a positive result.

Shime said the players had undergone intensive training ahead of the match, expecting a strong opposition from their rivals.

“We have had good training and our 12 players out of 22 were in the national women’s football team (Twiga Stars) that competed in the Olympic Games qualifier against Botswana. Besides that, the players also featured in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Ivory Coast. So, my players have gained impressive experience in international competitions,” said Shime. 

He said they need to be very keen on the match as Mamelodi Sundowns are a strong team and are regulars in the tournament.

“We need to be well-focused throughout the match as we are facing a strong team. I am happy that my players are committed and ready for the clash,” he said.

He added that the hopes of doing well in their group are high, based on the training they had undergone, insisting that each of them is determined to reach far.

Other teams in group A are Athletico FC Abidjan of Ivory Coast and Sporting Club Casablanca of Morocco. JKT Queens will play against the hosts Athletico FC Abidjan on November 8 and will wind up their group campaign against Sporting Club Casablanca on November 11.

Group B has AS FAR Club of Morocco, Ampem Darkoa (Ghana), Huracanes FC (Equatorial Guinea) and AS Mande of Mali.

The competition, which is programmed to end on November 19, will see eight teams battling for the golden opportunity to put hands on the coveted silverware.

This season’s tournament is the third edition as it is organised annually by CAF.

The winners of this edition will automatically qualify for the next edition of the tournament.

The qualification phases involved six sub-confederation qualifying tournaments that ran from August 2023 with each confederation having a representative.

As the defending champions, AS FAR qualified automatically for the main phase of the tournament.

JKT Queens become the second team to represent Tanzania in the continental competition after Simba Queens having made it in the last edition held in Morocco.