Guinea-Bissau women's national football team

 Guinea-Bissau
Association Federação de Futebol da Guiné-Bissau
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach Lassana Cassama
FIFA code GNB
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current NR (26 August 2016)
Highest 92 (2009)
Lowest 148 (September 2015)
First international
 Guinea-Bissau 1−1  Guinea
(Bissau; 28 October 2006)
Biggest defeat
 Guinea 1−3  Guinea-Bissau
(Conakry; 12 November 2006)

Guinea-Bissau women's national football team is a FIFA-recognised team representing Guinea-Bissau in international association football matches. Guinea-Bissau have played in two FIFA-recognised matches, both in 2006 against Guinea. The country also has a national under-17 side which participated in the 2012 Confederation of African Football qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Football is the most popular women's sport in the country. A women's football programme was established in 2004, followed by the creation of a women's national league.

Team

In 1985, few countries had women's national football teams.[1][2] While the sport gained popularity worldwide in the ensuing years, Guinea-Bissau's team only began play more than two decades later. By the end of 2006, the team had played in two FIFA-recognised matches.[3] The first was on 28 October 2006 against Guinea in Bissau, which ended in a 1-1 tie after Guinea-Bissau led 1-0 at half-time. On 12 November 2006, the team played in their second FIFA-recognised match in Conakry, where Guinea-Bissau lost to Guinea 1-3.[3] At the time, the team held three training sessions a week.[2] The team has not participated in some of the major international and regional football competitions, including the Women's World Cup, the 2010 African Women's Championship and the 2011 All-Africa Games.[4][5][6]

The team's average FIFA world ranking since 2006 is 119th. Its highest-ever ranking was 92nd in December 2009, and its lowest ranking was 144th in December 2007. Guinea-Bissau's best-ever rise in the rankings came in March 2008, when the team climbed 23 places compared to its previous FIFA ranking.[7] In March 2012, the team was ranked the 135th in the world by FIFA and 30th in the Confederation of African Football.[8] In June 2012, they moved up five spots to 130th in the world but fell to the 33rd in Africa.[7]

Guinea-Bissau has a FIFA recognised under-17 football team, which was established in 2006 but did not play any matches that year.[2][9] The team competed in the Confederation of African Football qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in Azerbaijan in September 2012. They did not advance beyond regional qualifiers.[10]

Background and development

The development of women's football in Africa faces several challenges, including limited access to education, poverty amongst women, inequalities and human rights abuses targeting women.[11][12][13][14] Many quality football players leave to seek greater opportunities in Europe or the United States.[15] Funding for women's football in Africa is also an issue: Most of the financial assistance for women's football comes from FIFA, not the national football associations.[15]

Guinea-Bissau won its independence in 1974, the same year its national football federation, Federação de Futebol da Guiné-Bissau, was founded.[4] The federation became a FIFA affiliate in 1986.[2][16] Women's football is provided for in the constitution of Federação de Futebol da Guiné-Bissau, and the organisation has four full-time staff members focusing on it.[2]

Football is the country's most popular sport for women, and is supported by football programmes in schools.[2] A national women's football programme was established in 2004.[9] By 2006, the country had 80 total football clubs, five of which were mixed and three of which were for women only.[2] There were 380 registered female players, and a women's teams played in a national football championship.[2] Three years later, there were 24 active women's teams in Guinea-Bissau.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Chrös McDougall (1 January 2012). Soccer. ABDO. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-61783-146-1. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 FIFA (2006). "Women's Football Today" (PDF): 88. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Guinea-Bissau: Fixtures and Results". FIFA. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  4. 1 2 Ballard, John; Suff, Paul (1999). The dictionary of football : the complete A-Z of international football from Ajax to Zinedine Zidane. London: Boxtree. p. 284. ISBN 0752224344. OCLC 59442612.
  5. ↑ "Fixtures - African Women Championship 2010". CAF. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  6. ↑ "Groups & standings - All Africa Games women 2011". Africa: CAF. 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Guinea-Bissau: FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". Switzerland: FIFA. 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  8. ↑ "The FIFA Women's World Ranking". Switzerland: FIFA. 25 September 2009-09-25. Retrieved 13 April 2012. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. 1 2 3 "Goal! Football: Guinea-Bissau" (PDF). FIFA. 4 November 2009. p. 4. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  10. ↑ "FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup: Qualifiers". Switzerland: FIFA. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  11. ↑ Jean Williams (15 December 2007). A Beautiful Game: International Perspectives on Women's Football. Berg. p. 186. ISBN 978-1-84520-674-1. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  12. ↑ Richard Giulianotti; David McArdle (2006). Sport, Civil Liberties and Human Rights. Routledge. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-7146-5344-0. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  13. ↑ Chris Hallinan; Steven J. Jackson (31 August 2008). Social And Cultural Diversity In A Sporting World. Emerald Group Publishing. pp. 40–41. ISBN 978-0-7623-1456-0. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  14. ↑ Jean Williams (18 December 2003). A Game for Rough Girls?: A History of Women's Football in Britain. Routledge. pp. 173–175. ISBN 978-0-415-26338-2. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  15. 1 2 Gabriel Kuhn (24 February 2011). Soccer Vs. the State: Tackling Football and Radical Politics. PM Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-60486-053-5. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  16. ↑ "Goal! Football: Guinea-Bissau" (PDF). FIFA. 4 November 2009. p. 1. Retrieved 16 April 2012.

External links

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