Women take to the field in Sudan - 8th April 2022

Crowds have come to see the Sudan women's football team play an international match at a Khartoum stadium. A few years ago, the thought of this was extraordinary.

Women were banned from playing football under Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir, who was removed from power in 2019. Within a month, they formed the first women's football team.

However, the team's faced challenges. Training was cancelled and they couldn't compete against Algeria when the 2021 military coup happened.

The situation continues to present issues, says team coach Salma al-Majidi.

Salma al-Majidi: "The security situation has greatly affected us. A match against Algeria was cancelled due to the security situation. Even during this last period we couldn't properly prepare – and the women's Sudan Football Association is new. We had one or two days, practice days, cancelled due to the protests and the insecurity."

The military coup left players worried that women's football could be banned again. However, this hasn't materialised so far. Coup leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's guaranteed that the military won't be involved in next year's elections.

The inexperienced Sudan team doesn't know what winning feels like yet. Although they played a tough game against neighbour South Sudan, they lost 6-nil. South Sudan player Amy Lasu says it wasn't an easy game.

Amy Lasu: "We came prepared, we were fully prepared. I mean, it's been hard work. For the time we've been training, we've tried so hard to, to do what the coach wants us to do. It, It's a great feeling for us. It's a moment to be proud of because it's the first time we're playing Sudan."