The world of football was recently shaken by a controversy in the qualifying match between Mozambique and Senegal, which had as its backdrop the choice of venue for the second leg. This incident had significant repercussions, considering that Senegal occupies a respectable position in the FIFA Ranking, being the 11th highest-ranked African country, and was among Africa's representatives in the play-off for qualification for the Women's World Cup.
The Mozambican Football Federation (FMF) publicly justified this choice, claiming that holding the game in Thiès was necessary to preserve the condition of the pitch at the Zimpeto National Stadium. The FMF argued that the Zimpeto pitch had recently been overloaded due to four games played in a short span of eight days, including matches of the Mambas (Mozambique national team), club competitions, and the local league, the Moçambola. However, this justification has raised doubts.
The scheduling of matches under the auspices of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) generally occurs at least 30 days in advance, and the match between Mozambique and Senegal, scheduled for Monday (September 25, 2023), would have been scheduled at least by August 25, 2023. However, the FMF stated that the decision to hold the match in Thiès was made after September 17, 2023, the date of the last match in Zimpeto. This raises questions about how CAF accepted such a significant change in the match venue in such a short timeframe.
Furthermore, the discussion regarding the requirements for hosting qualifying matches for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations is also relevant. Some countries, such as Eswatini, opted to host matches in other countries due to a lack of stadiums that met CAF requirements. Uganda, on the other hand, hosted women's matches in facilities with limited capacity.
This controversy highlighted the need for a more thorough analysis of CAF's requirements for holding qualifying matches and transparency in negotiations between football federations. As we await tomorrow's game (September 25, 2023), it is clear that this controversy will continue to be debated and may lead to changes in scheduling policies and match venues at future sporting events.
