Alima voted best player in Italian tourney

Ghanaian female footballer, Alima Moro, was voted the best player in a special football tournament played in Treviso, north of Italy.

Alima who ply her trade as a professional with Italian Serie ‘B’ S.D. Laghi in the national female football league came up on top with an award as Italy men’s World Cup winning squad of 1982 were pitched against a selected female team, a tournament organised by Paolo Rossi, who was Italy’s World Cup hero in 1982. The Italian squad won 6 - 4 but Alima was outstanding in the post pulling out some spectacular saves. The Italian media carried out a series of interviews about her and featured on the local and national newspapers and TV stations.

Team coach of the female side, Massimo Alfano, was full of praise for the Ghanaain keeper and said he is delighted about her and how she has handled herself since she started playing in the Italian female league.

Alima said: “I think I’m doing well in the women’s league and if given the chance will play for Ghana’s national female soccer team, the Black Queens”. The 28-year-old who said she felt disappointed for the way she was treated by the Ghana FA who invited her prior to the World Cup in China, gave her some brief moments of training session footbal and dropped her like a piece rag, following bad reports they received from the team’s female goalkeeper’s coach, mentioned there are good crop of players in Ghana and called on the Ghana FA to establish a female football league to tap players from the regions.

“I believe with my experience in Europe I will do well playing for the national team of Ghana. I congratulate the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) for organising Africa Cup of Nations for only home based-players in Africa and I’m appealing for a similar competition for the women playing outside Africa”.

She said this will help expose African female footballers outside the continent and improve their chances of playing for their national team. The Ghanaian keeper also urged African footballers who are not making it well abroad to consider returning home and again kick-start their career.