Zambia captain Barbra Banda has called for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations to receive more effective advertising and significantly greater global exposure, warning that the tournament's limited visibility is denying African players the opportunity to showcase their talents to the widest possible audience.
Speaking during the ongoing tournament in Morocco, the former African Women's Footballer of the Year has expressed disappointment that the competition, featuring many of the continent's top stars, has not received the level of promotion that she believes it deserves.
The tournament build-up was beset by persistent questions about its organisation and visibility, with a last-minute date change from March to July -- putting it in the immediate aftermath of the men's FIFA World Cup -- limited public advertising in host cities.
Broadcasting confusion has been impacting enthusiasm and created a lack of clarity about how fans can access the matches.
"A lot of scouts here are looking for players, so when it's not well advertised that means that a lot fewer people will be able to watch," Banda told BBC Africa. "So [I] would like to see the WAFCON being televised worldwide.
"When it's televised worldwide, it means a lot of people get to watch and a lot of people [can get] interested in so many players, us, our teammates, our coaches out there.
"[If] they are able to get access to watch these games, it gives an advantage to a lot of the young players out there who have not been seen yet."
Banda's comments echo wider concerns surrounding the tournament's profile and treatment by the Confederation of African Football, with broadcasting rights becoming a thorny subject once again on the eve of the tournament.
CAF announced on July 24 - two days before the WAFCON kicked off - that Channel 4 would broadcast the tournament in the United Kingdom, for example, only for viewers to be unable to find the matches anywhere on the organisation's properties across television, web and mobile when the competition began.
Banda has become one of African football's biggest stars following her success in China with Shanghai Shengli, and now with NWSL side Orlando Pride in the United States, but she said that the quality on display at this year's tournament deserves a far larger audience in order to enable the continent's brightest to follow in her footsteps.
She argued also that the rapid professionalism of domestic women's leagues across Africa have underpinned the raised standards, but that the competition must receive the packaging and marketing boost it deserves to help that talent get to the next level.
"If you look at the leagues now in Africa, I think each country has developed with a league, with national leagues," she continued. "So the calibre can be the same, because when you're playing professionally out there, it takes a lot.
"Every team is here to compete, no one has come just to participate."
While would-be title contenders South Africa and reigning champions Nigeria were defeated by Tanzania and Malawi respectively in their tournament openers -- adding weight to Banda's claims of a more balanced field -- hosts Morocco and her Zambia side ran out convincing winners to fuel their own hopes of a maiden continental crown.
Nonetheless, the 26-year-old -- who scored four goals against Egypt in the Copper Queens' 6-0 victory on Tuesday -- is cautious about her side's chances of lifting the title.
"Every team has improved," she concluded. "So predicting is very difficult for me, but our aim as a team is to qualify for the World Cup and possibly win the WAFCON."
