On Wednesday, Berewuleng, were handed pot A5 during the draw of the WAFU A Women’s Champions League Qualifiers held in Senegal.
The Gambia double winners, Berewuelng, will kick-start their campaign against host Aigles de Medina on the 8th of August before a marathon of fixtures against RAM Kamara (Sierra Leone) on the 11th and against USFAS (Mali). They will wrap up their campaign against Liberian giants Determine Girls FC on the final day of the tournament.
Apart from Aigles de Medina and Determine Girls FC, all three are debutants at this stage.
TAT spoke to Fakebba Saine, head coach of Berewuelng, and Gambian international midfielder Mariama Cham, who joined the champions on loan.
“The preparation is on high gear; the new players are coping at the expense that when you come to the camp, you can’t know who a new player or an old player is.” Saine mentioned
“Everyone is committed; these are players that I have coached before. Playing late in the competition is an added advantage to us; it avails us to see other teams.
We are going to compete, not only to participate.”
Mariama Cham, who is among the eight arrivals to bolster the champions campaign in Senegal, said she will leave everything on the pitch to repay the trust the coach has in her.
“Football is developed now; we have passed the stage where only one team becomes the champion for unseen times. We have seen changes in the continent in the just-ended seasons. The quality of the games has improved much more.”
“Playing back-to-back CAF Women’s Champions League qualifier is a good plus for me. The competition is very hard. Every team prepares well for the tournament. I believe we can achieve our objectives in Senegal.”
The Gambia will have a high number of players participating in this edition, with Determine Girls having four girls in their mix, while Sierre Leone Champions have three players from Red Scorpions.
The competition will be played at the Stade Abdoulaye Wade stadium between 5th to 17th August.
