Namibia’s hopes in the inaugural Confederation of African Football Women’s Futsal Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) came to an early end after two consecutive group stage losses at the Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, Morocco.
The tournament, which kicked off on 22 April and runs until 30 April, is not only the first of its kind on the African continent.
It serves as a qualifier for the historic Fifa Women’s Futsal World Cup set for the Philippines later this year.
Namibia’s women’s futsal team entered the tournament with optimism, having secured a morale-boosting 4-3 win in a warm-up match against a local selection from the Ligue du Grand Casablanca on 15 April.
However, that would remain their only victory on the tour. Their Afcon campaign began on a challenging note, as they were drawn into Group A alongside host nation Morocco and Cameroon – two nations with more established futsal infrastructures.
In their opening match, Namibia faced tournament hosts Morocco, who used home-court advantage and vocal support from the crowd to power through to a commanding 8-1 victory.
The Namibian side struggled to contain Morocco’s fast-paced attacks and disciplined formations, despite a valiant effort.
In their second and final group match on Saturday, Namibia showed notable improvement, pushing Cameroon to the limit in a high-scoring encounter.
Despite their spirited performance, the Namibians narrowly lost 6-5 in what was one of the most exciting games of the group stage.
The loss meant that Namibia finished bottom of Group A, with zero points, thus ending their run in the competition. Group A saw Morocco finish at the top, propelled by strong teamwork and standout individual performances. They will face Angola today in semi-final 1, whereas Cameroon claimed the second semi-final spot against Tanzania.
Elsewhere in the tournament, Group B delivered equally thrilling action, with Senegal and Guinea playing tomorrow for the seventh-place play-off.
Madagascar will face Egypt in the fifth-place play-off.
-lmupetami@nepc.com.na