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Women's football in Sudan - 8th April 2022

Sudan's women's football team are playing an international match at a stadium in Khartoum. This was impossible a few years ago.

Dictator Omar al-Bashir had banned women from playing football. But al-Bashir's rule ended in 2019. The women's national team was set up a month later.

Progress hasn't been easy. Training, and their match against Algeria, had to be cancelled when the military took power again in October 2021.

Problems have continued, as coach Salma al-Majidi explains.

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 takeover by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan caused further worries. Women were afraid that the ban on women's football would return. But the military's promised to exit politics after next year's elections. And it hasn't stopped women playing.

The young Sudan team haven't won any matches yet. They played well against South Sudan. But they were beaten 6-nil. South Sudan player Amy Lasu was pleased to play the Sudan team.

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."