Women’s Football Communication Lead, Matilda Dimedo has remarked that results on the pitch under former Black Queens coach Nora Häuptle were not always positive before the Swiss tactician left to join Zambia’s Copper Queens.
Her comments followed the Black Queens’ first match under new coach Kim Lars Björkegren, who lost to Morocco in a friendly game after being appointed ahead of the team’s participation in the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
Dimedo shared these insights during an interview on Football Made in Ghana with host Bennard Abeiku Okyere on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, when asked about Häuptle’s tenure.
“Even before Nora Hauptle left, we were not recording any win, so that should be the record, it’s not like everything was rosy under her” – Matilda Dimedo, Women’s Football Comms Lead.@JustDzifa on Nora’s final few games before leaving for the Copper Queens. #CitiSports pic.twitter.com/qtuLxTcYPU
— Citi Sports (@CitiSportsGHA) February 26, 2025
Despite an impressive 10-game unbeaten run that saw the Black Queens score 34 goals, Häuptle’s final four matches ended without a win—losses to Namibia and Zambia over two legs in the 2024 Paris Olympic qualifiers, and a friendly defeat to Japan.
The unbeaten streak began with a 3-0 friendly win over Benin, followed by 3-0 and 1-0 victories against Senegal in a doubleheader friendly.
The team then secured 3-0 and 4-0 wins over Guinea in the 2024 Paris Olympic qualifiers, followed by 7-0 and 5-0 triumphs against Rwanda in the 2024 WAFCON qualifiers.
A 3-0 victory over Benin in the first leg of the 2024 Olympic qualifiers and a 3-1 win against Namibia in the 2024 WAFCON qualifier final rounded out the run.
With the Women’s AFCON looming, Kim Lars Bjorkegren’s side will face Senegal in the March/April international window as part of preparations for the tournament scheduled for July.
