Tura Magic Ladies Football Club (FC) has welcomed its draw against Zambian giants Green Buffaloes and Zimbabwean outfit Black Rhinos Queen in the inaugural edition of the Cosafa Women’s Champions League, which starts next month.

The draw for the maiden edition of the regional women’s champions’ league was conducted yesterday, and saw Magic Ladies, who are the reigning champions of the Namibia Football Association (NFA) Women’s Super League, pitted alongside the two teams in Group B.

The tournament will take place from 26 August until 4 September 2021 in Johannesburg, South Africa. 

Tura Magic chairman Isack Hamata yesterday said being part of the inaugural Cosafa Women’s Champions League is a big moment for the club and Namibia, and assured that the girls will be ready to give their opponents a good run for their money.

“Judging from the draw, it is relatively a tough group and you can even see the quality of Zambian football by the performance of their Olympics team; they did well under those circumstances. The same applies to Zimbabwe – they have been doing great in women’s football over the years. But going to this competition will be of great benefit to us, meaning that it’s a character test for our girls,” said Hamata.

“This will put us in the position to weigh ourselves against the best teams in the region. I believe it’s good for us to test our strength and know where we rank in the region. We will go out there and represent the country at large and fly the national flag high.”

Meanwhile, NFA secretary general Franco Cosmos also welcomed the draw, saying it is a huge milestone for Tura Magic Ladies and for Namibia’s women’s national team that will benefit a lot in the long run. “It’s a historic moment for Namibia that a female team from our country will have the privilege to be part of the maiden Cosafa Women’s Champions League. We are excited and looking forward to this,” said Cosmos. Magic will be one of seven teams that will compete in the tournament, along with South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies, Double Action Ladies (Botswana), Manzini Wanderers LFC (Eswatini), Lesotho Defence Force (Lesotho), Green Buffaloes FC (Zambia) and Black Rhino Queens FC (Zimbabwe).

The teams will be split into two groups – one with four sides and the other with three teams – with the top two teams in each pool advancing to the semifinals. 

The Cosafa Women’s Champions League will serve as a qualifier for the CAF Women’s Champions League due to be staged later in the year.

- mkambukwe@nepc.com.na