A FIFA official takes a look at the local women's game, Ghada Abdel-Kader reports FIFA technical expert, consultant Monika Staab, has just ended a two-week visit to Egypt where she had a close look at the future of women's football in the country. Basically she liked what she saw, but we could do better. "Egypt is number 123 in the FIFA women's rankings," Staab told Al-Ahram Weekly. "But I really believe that if they take it seriously and do the effort, Egypt can be among the best 60 countries in the world. In Cairo, Staab was in the stands for the first-ever under-20 championship of 12 teams. She was particularly impressed by the game between Aviation Club and Wadi Degla, "which was of a very high standard. The final and the whole tournament were very exciting. The level of the U-20 players was very high. Also, the referees [the federation has six FIFA referees] did a very good job. "There is a very good league [which runs from October to April]. The competition level is very good and a high standard. It was very surprising to see how good the standard of women's football is in Egypt. I am very impressed with the standard of the players. They have good potential and technical skills," Staab said. "I went to Alexandria where I gave a few lectures to the coaches. We conducted very good workshops about what is women's football all over the world." Staab is part of a consultancy programme under FIFA "in which we visit developing countries where women's football still needs to be promoted and developed in order to see what can be done to improve the situation by giving recommendations and advice. Hopefully, women's football will then improve. "The whole trip was very successful," Staab said. "In Cairo, we saw some good coaching. It is a little bit different than what many coaches know about football. "I paid a visit to Upper Egypt where we met the mayor, and the governors of Qena and Luxor to persuade them to establish women's football in schools." Staab held out special praise for Sahar El-Hawari, the founder of women's football in Egypt. "She really does a lot of effort and wants to improve the standard of the game. She is doing a very good job in getting the girls early enough to play." Marriage, though, often steps in the way."Some of the girls get married when they turn around 20 which is another problem. I did a lot of coaching clinics for the girls. It was very successful. People are involved and want to do more about women football. "In Assuit we will start with a women's academy. It will give more training and look for talent. Getting the girls early enough and practicing football, the more they will have mature football skills. The performance will improve." After her return, Staab is to issue a report to FIFA concerning her evaluation and recommendations for promoting women's football in Egypt. "My recommendation is more exposure for the national team. They come together only once a week. "Another is having games against boys' teams. Have some international games and tournaments to improve the players' standard. We also need good coaches. We will see how the Egyptian Football Association will react to this. You need good coaches for the national team. FIFA will also conduct coaching courses for females. I think it is important in some areas to increase the number of female coaches. We will talk about marketing, promotion and media aspects. "Parents should also see how wonderful the sport is, how acceptable it is to play football. Parents need to encourage their daughters to play." Staab also called for setting up more school programmes. "The girls have to start playing football in schools, not at the age of 16 or 17. That's too late to begin playing football. Boys start playing football when they are five or six. You have to find suitable clubs where they can practice the game. "Players of the national team under 17 should get the chance early enough to play high-level competitions in Africa. There is a possibility of the Egyptian national U-17 team qualifying for that age bracket World Cup. "Then, we come to the point we need: money. The federation is convinced that women's sport needs the help of expertise from men. They have a lot of experience, over 100 years in football. In women's football, Germany and America have a long history, over 40 years. Women's football in Egypt has been around for only 10 years. It is a new sport but it is growing and growing. Also, the quality of the coaches decides the performance of the players. The players have potential but they need more tactical skills, coordination, fitness and nutrition. FIFA will provide the guidance to help them get better coaches." "It's a circle. If you have money, you can get better coaches to improve the level of football for the girls. It's still a long way to go but it's tremendous what already has been done. Thanks to El-Hawari, she is devoted, dedicated, and engaged in women's football. We need more women like here. "I always say to work in women's football you have to be crazy otherwise you can't do it. Women's football is the harder part of the game. But if you really have a passion for football, you will be very successful."
