Tanzania’s president Samia Suluhu Hassan has described her country’s female footballers as having flat chests and being unattractive for marriage.
It’s a rather shocking, bizarre statement coming from the country’s leader, who’s a female, and not just that, but one of few female leaders in Africa at the moment.
She made the controversial statement on Sunday, during a ceremony to celebrate the victory of a national men’s team in a regional football championship.
Samia said, “For those who have flat chests, you might think they are men and not women.”
“And if you look at their faces you might wonder… because if you want to marry, you want someone who is attractive, a lady who has the qualities that you want,” she said. For the women footballers, she said, “those qualities have disappeared”.
“Today they are making us proud as a nation when they bring trophies to the country but if you look at their lives in the future, when the legs are tired from playing, when they don’t have the health to play, what life will they be living?” she said.
“The life of marriage is like a dream to them. Because even if one of you here takes them home as your wife, your mother will ask if they are a woman or a fellow man.”
The 61-year-old, who was sworn in on 19 March 2021, is now facing strong criticism over her controversial remarks.