| Maam Samba Guèye only completed elementary school and does not have a job. "In the mornings, I prepare lunch for my family: Thiebudien, yassa, soupe au kandia," she said, referring to several typical Senegalese dishes. In the afternoon, she trains with her team. If they win the women's championship, the players will share the prize money. But for now, she looks to her parents and other family members for support. The money in female soccer is nothing compared to money some African stars have made going to Europe, like Ivorian Didier Drogba who plays for one the world's richest teams, Chelsea. Many of the young men who go to Europe seeking soccer riches alter their birth certificates so they can appear to be stronger for their age and have more potential. Compact and wiry, Guèye has done the same - her identity card says she is 19. "I did a judgment," she says, referring to a process that allowed Senegalese people to officially change their birth date. This was often done for students who need to repeat a grade, and in Guèye's case, she says, so she could continue to play soccer as well. Diama Guèye, a former teammate, who stopped playing in order to get a job, says it is a shame so many African players try to get to Europe, but she can understand why. "If the best African players are going to play in Africa instead,” she says, “we need to be able to support them here." |
