'I love to dance' – social media boosts Masaka during injury-hit season

BBC News

6 days ago

Injuries are part and parcel of being a footballer, but Aisha Masaka has suffered more than most over the past 12 months.The Tanzania forward should have been in the thick of the action at the recent Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco, but a knee problem picked during the Twiga Stars' build-up saw her pull out of the squad.That disappointment comes on top of a debut campaign for Brighton & Hove Albion Women in England's Women's Super League (WSL) that was limited to just a handful of minutes because of injuries, including five months out with a severe shoulder problem picked up just minutes after coming on to make her WSL debut at Arsenal in November."It's not a good season for me," the 21-year-old admitted to BBC Sport Africa."It's a big step up for me because WSL is a big league in the world. I need more experience, I need to play to get that experience."Forced to watch on from the sidelines, Masaka's new team-mates led Brighton to a fifth-place finish in the WSL - a best ever performance by the Seagulls.But the first Tanzanian woman to play top-flight football in England says she has learned from the likes of Fran Kirby and Nikita Parris, regular squad members for the Lionesses over many years."They are nice. They help young players like me," she said."They teach me to be patient with injuries. My time will come and I will shine."
Lip-syncing to Diamond Platinumz
While Masaka describes her injury-ravaged campaign as "tough", she insists that she has not found it difficult to cope mentally or emotionally."I can miss my family back home, I can miss my friends," she confessed before adding that she has the comfort of "good friends, good staff' within the Brighton set up."They support me a lot so it's not really lonely."Hailing from the Singida region of Tanzania, Masaka's youth career was spent at Alliance Academy before joining Yanga Princess based in Dar es Salaam.A move to Europe arrived in 2022 when she joined Swedish side Hacken, before her transfer to Brighton in July last year.It means living in a different country is not entirely new, and she has already adopted a very modern way of communicating with home - social media."The thing I like about social media is music, dancing," she explained."I love to dance. It makes me happy."With hundreds of thousands of followers on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, many of Masaka's posts see her dancing or lip-syncing to some of her favourite musicians, including Tanzanian superstars Diamond Platinumz and Rayvanny.Most comments arrive in her native Swahili. Largely they are positive, but not always."I don't answer negative comments," said Masaka. "I don't care about that - I just read but I don't care."
Tanzania's growing women's game
Masaka's position as an East African trailblazer in English football has increased her profile back in her homeland, something she is keen to capitalise on to promote the women's game."I inspire many players, many young girls now because this level I reached is very high, [a] big step for anyone," she said."Girls and boys, they see me as a role model."Tanzania's appearance in Morocco was their second at a Wafcon finals. With another star attacker, Clara Luvanga, also out injured, the team finished bottom of their group, even if they did pick up their first ever Wafcon point by drawing with holders South Africa.The Twiga Stars have the opportunity to qualify for next year's tournament when they face Ethiopia home and away in October, and another appearance would continue to drive more interest in a sport that Masaka says is growing "very quickly"."If you look five years ago, no professional player from Tanzania played outside Tanzania," she added."But now it's a lot of players outside Tanzania [who] play professionally."Perhaps appropriately, Masaka used social media to announce her injury ahead of Wafcon, describing it as "a huge pain", not just physically but "more mentally and emotionally".Promising to return with "renewed strength", she remains committed to providing an example for young girls with big football dreams."I'm very proud and I will work hard to prove that everything is possible," she concluded."You can go far when you have a target, when you have goals."Masaka may have missed out on this Wafcon, but she will be keen to find her feet on football's dancefloor again as soon as possible with the new season just around the corner.