Congo women's football: Chaïda Mabondzo, saviour of the Red Devils

"For me, Chaïda Mabondzo is one of the players to watch throughout this Coupe de la ville", Paul Samba said this morning. It is with that feeling that the president of the Congo-Brazzaville national women's football league heads to the Alphonse Massamba-Débat stadium, where the women's Coupe de la ville gets under way this afternoon, 24 February. It is far from an idle sentiment. The head of the women's football league still has fresh in his mind the feat Chaïda Mabondzo produced at the UNIFAC women's U20 tournament, played from 13 to 15 February 2024 in Cameroon. "She made us happy. She makes a whole nation proud", Paul Samba added.

Having equalised when the Red Devils were trailing the Central African Republic in the final match, Chaïda Mabondzo also provided the assist that allowed her team-mate and compatriot Destinée Malembé to score the winning goal. That was enough for UNIFAC to award her the trophies for top scorer and best player. And although the Congolese, who had been beaten 3-0 by the host nation, finished only second in the competition, the two trophies are a source of satisfaction not just for her but also for her team-mates.

"It consoles us"

"In sport, if you can't win a tournament, you should at least come away with a trophy. And we did that. It consoles us and it consoles the whole squad", said Gloire Danielle Kouangou, a defensive midfielder for the national team and for Epah-Ngamba of Pointe-Noire, who was part of the Cameroon campaign.

For the officials, Chaïda Mabondzo saved the country. "Our girls were behind and on the brink of defeat. Morale was at rock bottom, especially when we thought about the hammering in the first match against the Cameroonians (0-3, editor's note). But like a good striker, she sparked the fightback and equalised. So, by carrying the team, Chaïda saved a whole squad and a whole country", Paul Samba added.

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Not one for many words, the Nkayi native is modest and intends to "keep working hard to go even further with both her club and her national team". But through Chaïda Mabondzo, women's football in Congo-Brazzaville can hope to carve out a prominent place on the international stage.

Alone in the desert

Even so, the road ahead looks hard, notably because of a lack of playing time caused by the scarcity of competitions. That state of affairs is largely down to the perennial problem of limited resources. The officials say competitions must be created. "We are a new body that is only two years old. So we face a funding problem in organising competitions. But funds can be found. That is why we have brought in Brazzaville city hall. This is an extra competition on top of the league and the national cup. So it is a further boost in playing time for our girls, as the UEFA experts recommended to us last year", Paul Samba explained. And if all goes well, Chaïda Mabondzo could well be the face of this revival.

John Ndinga Ngoma