Women cheer on national football game in South Darfur

Darfuri women and men, waving flags and dressed in the colours of their teams, cheered on football players during a match between two teams for Sudan’s national cup in Nyala on Monday afternoon.

In the first half of the game, player Hisham scored the first and only goal from a penalty kick against Nile Shendi. Marekh Nyala’s victory on the team from northern Sudan results in four points in the tournament, equal to the Police Gedaref team which won in an earlier match.

The game saw a large crowd of Marekh Nyala fans in the state capital’s city stadium, among them women. Sudanese women usually do not attend football games out of conservative habits but have been spotted cheering on players from the audience more often.

Darfuri women and men, waving flags and dressed in the colours of their teams, cheered on football players during a match between two teams for Sudan's national cup in Nyala on Monday afternoon.

In the first half of the game, player Hisham scored the first and only goal from a penalty kick against Nile Shendi. Marekh Nyala's victory on the team from northern Sudan results in four points in the tournament, equal to the Police Gedaref team which won in an earlier match.

The game saw a large crowd of Marekh Nyala fans in the state capital's city stadium, among them women. Sudanese women usually do not attend football games out of conservative habits but have been spotted in the audience cheering on teams more often.