Lekkie FF reveals how road trip to DRC ruined CAF champions league dreams
By Biwah Bryan
Lekkie FF, champions of the 2022/2023 female division one championship, embarked on a grueling journey to participate in the Uniffac tournament, a qualifier for the women’s CAF Champions League.
The team traveled over 1600 km from Cameroon to Kinshasa in DR Congo, arriving on August 18, just a day before their first match against FC Feminino of Malabo, which they won 5-0.
In an interview with CNA, a team official revealed the stressful conditions they faced upon their arrival in the Democratic Republic of Congo “We were very tired and had little time to rest for our first game…the team of medical personnel and coaches had to do everything possible to ensure the players were fit to play.”
Lekkie FF’s subsequent matches against Diable Noirs and TP Mazembe ended in draws, diminishing their chances of qualifying. The team finished with 5 points, behind TP Mazembe’s 7, and missed an opportunity to represent the Central African Zone in the CAF Champions League.
The team’s return journey was no less taxing. They left Kinshasa on Sunday, August 25th, traveling by road, crossing the sea on the same day to reach Brazzaville, where they spent the night before taking a bus on Monday, August 26th, to Cameroon.
After an exhausting journey, they finally arrived in Yaounde on Wednesday, August 28th. According to the team official, “The journey back was not easy. We had to stop at checkpoints frequently to resolve paper issues, and the road was very long. But we were relieved to arrive safely.”
The team opened up to CNA about their financial struggles, explaining that they had to travel by road due to insufficient funds to cover flight tickets for the entire team.
In an effort to alleviate their financial struggles, the team reached out to Fecafoot, requesting a portion of their prize money from winning the 2022/2023 championship. However, their plight fell on deaf ears, as the federation failed to respond.
Sadly, a similar scenario occurred during the 2023 Women’s CAF Champions League when As Awa was unable to participate in the competition due to financial constraints that made traveling to Equatorial Guinea for the qualifiers impossible.
