Hoffenheim and Frankfurt lose ground

Hoffenheim not ready for the top

Hoffenheim can ill afford slip ups when chasing the big two in the Women's Bundesliga. But this one was entirely of their own making as they weren't able to be clinical against an injury-hit Cologne side. Nicole Billa scored her eighth goal of the season early in the first half but teammate Jule Brand spurned countless chances in the second to put the game beyond reach. That allowed Cologne's Amber Barrett to turn Cologne's first real chance into an equalizer in the 85th minute. This was a further indication of what had already become apparent during the course of the season: TSG are not mature enough for the title race they aspire to be a part of. 

"The draw is very disappointing because we had more of the game and more possession. We actually had the game under control," defender Judith Steinert told DW. "These are the kind of games that really matter. If we want to play at the top, we can't let points like that slip away."

The four point gap to the top, however, does not detract from the impressive development Hoffenheim have undergone in recent years: from a candidate for mid-table to a Champions League contender with an attractive offensive game and a real chance of being a title contender in the future.

Steinert, who has been part of the team since 2013, says she has "really experienced everything" along the way. This includes more professional conditions, more training; and most recently, additional games in the Champions League, which have helped make the team stronger. "We understand each other implicitly and have a really good team spirit. It was a super first half of the season," she concluded.

Difficult debut for Doorsoun

Sara Doorsoun, whose opportunities became limited at Wolfsburg, is the most high-profile league transfer of the winter break. At Eintracht Frankfurt, the experienced international is expected to help the club work towards its goal of reaching the Champions League. However, her debut was did not go according to plan. Frankfurt lost 2-1 to Freiburg, largely due to Doorsoun being sent off in the 35th minute for a reckless challenge. To make matters worse, the resulting freekick was beautifully converted by Freiburg's captain Hasret Kayıkçı to give her side the lead. 

It remained a very entertaining match, in which Frankfurt, despite being shorthanded, continued to link dangerously, but Freiburg ultimately claimed all three points. The phrase of the day was delivered by the winning goal scorer Erëleta Memeti in a match played in stormy conditions. "In this weather you can see that we are the sunshine, with a smile on our face." 

FifPro demands new game plan

The players' union FifPro is calling for changes to the women's football calendar. Irregular fixtures and too few competitive matches are hindering sporting development, the union said in a study that analyzed the matches of 85 players: "The overall game schedule is unbalanced with long rest periods followed by a high number of games in a short period of time." Above all, there are proportionally too many international matches, but too few international club tournaments, the authors state, adding that national leagues are too small. Their demand is for more club competitions.

Lyon offshoot makes mark in Senegal

While the Senegalese men triumphed at the Africa Cup of Nations, an interesting power shift is taking place in the women's league. For years, the Sirènes de Grand Yoff dominated the league, which was founded in 1997; now they are getting competition from a club that would be reviled as a plastic club elsewhere. The women's section of AS Dakar Sacré-Cœur, which was only founded in 2010, has only existed since 2017. It is an attempt to think of African football differently, and is a so-called partner club of Lyon. The ascent has been steep: in 2019, the women entered the first division; in 2020, they were already top of the table when the season was cut short because of the coronavirus; in 2021, the first title followed on goal difference.

On their website, AS Dakar Sacré-Cœur have criticised chronic problems in Senegalese football: a lack of infrastructure and materials, poorly-trained coaches and young people who are lured to Europe under sometimes scandalous circumstances. Assuming it is more than just PR, it is hard to find fault with a club that wants to change all that and, what's more, takes women with it and has a female head coach on board in Marianne Boye. The project advertises its "completely new approach" with, among other things, freshly-built infrastructure, a youth centre from U11 to U19, a football school for children, but also activities for children with mental disabilities, projects for street children and more. Lyon's presence is important but Senegal certainly deserves a breath of fresh air in women's football terms.  

This article was adapted from German