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Joy Sunday: Athletico FC captain set sights on CAF Women’s Champions League title
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
Ivorian Women’s League champions, Athletico FC captain Joy Sunday believes her team can win the 2023 CAF Women’s Champions League on their first ever appearance on home soil this November.
Athletico FC will open their campaign against fellow debutants Sporting Club Casablanca of Morocco in Group A before facing another first-timer, JKT Queens of Tanzania before wrapping up their group stage against inaugural winners, Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.
In 2022, ASFAR FC became the first team to host and win the tournament to be held from November 5 to 19, a feat Sunday expects her side to replicate in Ivory Coast.
“We are preparing very hard for the CAF Women’s Champions League coming up next month,” Sunday told Nigeriafootball.ng
“Now that the draw has been conducted, the way we train have changed and we are putting more effort. We have every chance of getting out of the group because we believe in ourselves and the team.
“Been our first time there will be a lot of pressure from our fans and sports lovers. We will overcome it and the target is to win the CAF women’s Champions League.”
The Ivorian champions team will be taking part in the tournament for the first time after their third-place finish at the West Africa Zone B (WAFU-B) Zonal Qualifiers in Benin City, Nigeria.
As one of the five debutants at the competition, Sunday is optimistic that the host team has what it takes to edge heavyweights like holders, ASFAR FC and 2021 champions, Mamelodi Sundowns to the coveted trophy.
“To win the CAF Women’s Champions League as the host country and make sports lovers in Cote d’Ivoire happy and proud is our major focus at the tournament,” she concluded.
