Mbayang Thiam (Eagles of Medina): "Participating in the CAF Women's Champions League is personal enrichment"

• Mbayang Thiam on personal fulfilment of participating in the CAF Women’s Champions League
• The Senegalese tactician reflects on her team's qualification to the CAF Women's Champions League
• She also shares the team’s objective for the finals this season

The CAF Women’s Champions League 2024 will have a new team participating for the first time this season after Senegal’s Media Eagles qualified for the continental finals. 

Led by coach Mbayang Thiam, the West African side looks to make an immediate impact at the finals set to be contested by the best 8 women’s clubs on the continent. 

The coach sat with CAFOnline.com ahead of the finals to reflect on the qualifiers and ambitions for the finals.

CafOnline.com: This is an exciting first for you, how do you feel about being at the helm of the first team to represent Senegal in this CAF Women's Champions League?

Mbayang Thiam: It's a great pleasure. A Senegalese team qualifies for the final stages of the CAF Women's Champions League. We are really happy to have accomplished this and to be entering the history of this competition in this way. It is really an honour for me. 

At what point, during the WAFU A tournament, did you tell yourself that this year, you will succeed in qualifying?

From the beginning of the tournament, I felt this feeling. We have all the resources necessary to go all the way. We are a solid team, supported by its leaders. The girls believed in this qualification, and with the help of the staff, the president, and everyone around the team, everyone contributed to this victory.

You are proof that African federations are increasingly trusting women to coach clubs. What inspires you?

Absolutely, it gives me a lot of inspiration! During my career as a player, I was trained by men. Then, I had this reflection: "It is high time that women occupy this position, because we have the capabilities." I said to myself: "Why not try my luck?" I have acquired my diplomas and here I am at the head of the Aigles de la Medina, where I am perfecting myself with new techniques and modern tools, and the results are there.

What are some of the key areas in the team that you worked on ahead of the CAF Women's Champions League?

My team already has a well-established style of play, but it is essential that we work more on our attack and that we are more precise in front of the goal. In the CAF Women’s Champions League, we will face the best teams on the continent, who will not give us easy goals. The goal of our sport remains to score goals and win games.

What can we expect from the Medina Eagles in this CAF Women's Champions League?

We are aiming for the semi-final. Given the quality of the team and the commitment of the players, we can say that appetite comes from playing. They are now convinced that all this is possible. There is a strong conviction and a good progress on the mental level. So they tell themselves that reaching the semi-finals is not out of reach. If they manage to go beyond this stage, it would be really exceptional. Already, qualifying this team for the first time is an achievement in itself.

What is your view on the development of women's football in Africa?

I really think it's a very good evolution. This is positive, because five years ago, such an idea, like a CAF Champions League dedicated to women's clubs, would not even have crossed our minds. With the creation of this competition, it really represents a great advancement. 

I will illustrate my point with the example of Senegal, where the categorisation at the national team level is very promising. Today, many girls play and there is a real influx of female participation in our sport. Previously, there was only one senior team that played almost every two years in the AFCON qualifiers. This significantly limited competitiveness. Currently, we have 17 teams, including even U-15, futsal, it's really developing.

It's really beautiful. There are also countries that are making progress in this area. It is true that sometimes resources are sometimes lacking but despite everything, more and more girls are interested in football, because it is starting to bear fruit, and some even go abroad to play. All this encourages some parents to allow their daughters to play.

What does this competition mean to you?

Firstly, participating in this competition is really an excellent opportunity. It enriches the experience. There are so many aspects that we have not yet experienced, which we often talk about. I would also mention the level of the teams, during our regional tournament, which really surprised me.

The matches were really intense, which made it possible to highlight excellent players and quality teams. This contributes to our continuous learning, because we are in constant training, and it helps us develop our skills. In addition, it also enriches our professional experience.