By Manal Abdel Fattah
The French Ambassador to Egypt, Eric Chevalier, and the President of the Egyptian Football Association, Gamal Allam, announced the partnership between the French and Egyptian Football Federations, which is sponsored by the French Ambassador to Egypt, and aims to develop women’s football in Egypt, especially among young women’s national teams for less than 17 years and under 20 years.
During the partnership signing ceremony at the headquarters of the French Institute in Cairo, Ambassador Eric said that the project reflects the common aspiration of the French Embassy in Egypt and the Egyptian Football Association regarding expanding the scope of sports practice, in particular football, among women while giving a structural nature to the specialization.
He added: The project is based on the ability of sport to encourage liberation and advance women’s rights. Perhaps the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the first games with equal representation in history, provide an ideal context for promoting sporting values.
The project aims to make the practice of women’s football in Egypt more important and prominent, with Encouraging Egyptian girls to play.
He said that this initiative directly supports the Egyptian women’s football teams, for under 17 years and under 20 years, through intensive training courses organized at the famous Clairefontaine Center in France.
He pointed out that, accompanied by crew members, the players will go to the historic headquarters of the France team, where they will benefit from high-level facilities and amenities, and will also receive qualifications, exchanges, and specialized training.
It should be noted that the French Football Federation has proven experience and expertise in this regard, and the results of the French women’s teams are the best evidence of this.
In addition, the project includes an institutional dimension through the exchange of good practices between the two federations, the training of staff members of the aforementioned national teams, and also the training of male and female coaches.
Although the practice of women’s football in Egypt has only been recent since the late 1990s, it is witnessing real developmental dynamism, especially during recent years.
There is a national championship consisting of three categories and a national cup, in which the Confederation of African Football and several active parties are involved in strengthening the capabilities of… Players in women’s football.
Coinciding with the launch of the initiative, the “Football” photo exhibition was opened, which presents to the public football culture in the Middle East and North Africa through photos taken between the late 1980s and 2023, in: Palestine, Algeria, Iraq, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Egypt.
