Côte d'Ivoire hopes Lyon v PSG final will inspire girls and speed women’s football growth | OneFootball

Côte d’Ivoire’s football chiefs see Saturday's Lyon v PSG Coupe de la Ligue final in Abidjan as a catalyst for the women’s game. All 24,000 invitations for Félix Houphouët-Boigny were taken, and authorities told media to stop promoting the event over crowd concerns.

Idriss Diallo said a clash of two of Europe’s leading sides could inspire girls and show that a professional pathway exists. He added that every club had invitations and the game would be a sell-out, and felt it could also shift attitudes in families.

Clémentine Touré defied her father to play from 1994 to 2004, then coached Côte d’Ivoire from 2010 to 2023, reaching their first Africa Cup of Nations in 2012 and World Cup in 2015. She said Canada 2015 and Jacques Anouma’s election sped change, and is now a ministry inspector who recently became the first woman to earn the CAF Pro Licence.

The top division has expanded from 10 to 14 clubs with funding multiplied by 10, and a new second tier caps sides at five over-20s and excludes foreigners to prioritise youth. Head coach Reynald Pedros said competitiveness and pitch quality will be crucial, and progress will take time given the lack of academies.

Since 2022, registered female players have risen from 200 to 900. When Diallo took office that April there were no women’s under-17 or under-20 teams, the under-17s have since played their first World Cup and the under-20s are close to September’s tournament in Poland.

Source: L'Équipe