Photo Credit: Ethiopian Football Federation.
The Ethiopian U-17 women national team will face Cameroon U-17 women on Saturday, March 8. The national side head coach Rawuda Ali stated she knows the challenges ahead are tough. Ethiopia got an automatic qualification to the second round after Zimbabwe withdrew from the competition.
Ali said Cameroon is a strong team to face. “We saw some footage. It is a tough team like their senior women's side. They are very good at set pieces. It is an away game so we are looking for a favorable result and we are hoping to get a good result.”
The national side did not enter camp after Zimbabwe’s withdrawal making preparation for the Cameroon game a bit difficult. “After Zimbabwe’s withdrawal we were engaging with the players. We followed their progress,” said Ali.
The former Ethiopian women national side midfielder Ali also responded to claims from the local media on age cheating. “It took me a while to assemble this squad. There is no competition specifically for young girls so it is tough.
"But we managed to get players from the second division. I think we have players who are under 17. We have a player from Tirunesh Academy who is an eighth grader. We don’t have a choice but to go with these girls. It is very challenging.”
The U-17 women's side played out a goalless draw in a friendly game against Ethiopian Women Premier League side Ethio Electric at the Addis Ababa Stadium before heading to Cameroon for the crucial encounter.
Lack of school competition made it tough for the national side to properly vet players who are under 17. Ethiopia will be hoping to progress to the next round.
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