2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy Tour: Much Ado About Osaze, By Harry Awurumibe

The recent noise over the choice of ex- Super Eagles star, Peter Osaze Odemwingie as the Trophy Bearer by the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) for the just concluded Nigeria Trophy Tour is unnecessary if the antecedents of the world football governing body is anything to rely upon.     FIFA in its wisdom picked  Odemwingie who is one of their Football Ambassadors to be the Trophy Bearer when the glittering piece of precious metal was on display in Nigeria on Thursday, April 11, 2019. 
The Nigerian came to Abuja  in company of three FIFA officials – Sarai Bareman, Chief Women’s Football Officer and her Special Assistant, Nicole Fisch and Vanessa Marques, Lead Marketing Projects.
   The public display of the Trophy which took place both at the Sports minister Solomon Dalung’s Boardroom at the Abuja National Stadium and Lagos Hall of Transcorp Hilton hotel Abuja, attracted members of the Super Falcons team, Abuja school children, Women’s Football Stakeholders, top officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and Sports Ministry as well as the Nigerian media gave the attendees the rare opportunity to pose with the FIFA Trophy.     However, the memorable Trophy Tour of Nigeria was nearly overshadowed by the side talks of Odemwingie’s choice to be the Trophy Bearer. Some people believed that a man is not the right person to be the Trophy Bearer. The opposing voices also claim that men are not supposed to be involved in the women’s football affairs. 
   But Bareman, the FIFA top official poured cold water on that suggestion at the Boardroom of Nigeria’s Sports minister where she made it categorically clear that men are equally as important as women in the development and promotion of women’s football in the world. 
   She further stated that Odemwingie as one of the Football Ambassadors of FIFA is ably qualified to be the Trophy Bearer for the Nigerian leg of the the global Trophy Tour just as she insisted that men are reliable allies in the development and promotion of women’s football in the world.
   The FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer may have laid to rest the erroneous believe of some myopic and selfish individuals and their  “internet warrior” supporters who have been shouting on the rooftops in Nigeria that FIFA said only women are allowed to be part of the  Women’s Football Affairs. 
  These “new crusaders”of “Leave Women’s Football for Only Women” may not know that only men spearheaded the fight for the recognition of women’s football in Nigeria, Africa and globally. 
For example, the first Chairman of FIFA Women’s Football Committee who nurtured the game was a man. Poul Hyldgaard of Denmark and his deputy, Henry YT Fok and 10 others in the Committee were menOnly two women-Linda Grant (USA) and Josephine King New Zealand were women. 
   For the records, it were Per Albert Nordengen, the Mayor of Oslo, Norway and  Per David Omdal, President of the Norwegian Football Association who promoted women’s football so much  through the annual Oslo Cup before FIFA gave worldwide recognition to Women’s Football by staging the first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup final in China in 1991.
     The evolution of women’s football in Nigeria took the same pattern in the late 1980s and early 1990s when persons like Pa Christopher Abisuga of Golden Wonders FC; Prince Larry Ezeh of Rivers Angels; Elder Eddington Kuejunbola of Ufuoma Babes and Mr. John Obijiaku of Flying Angels and  sports journalist Harry Awurumibe spent their money, time and energy to develop, finance and promote women’s football in Nigeria even before some women joined the campaign.
    Today, those who did not agree with some of the pioneers that women’s football can grow to be huge like the men’s version use their top positions to humiliate men who dare to still follow women’s football. 
    In fact, it has become like a trained dog taken to the hunting expedition by his owner, the dog pursued and helped to kill the antelope. But when the meat is being dried in the fire place, the hunter declared the dog as a “thieving dog” that should not be allowed near the antelope meat it helped to kill. This is exactly what “new crusaders” of women’s football in Nigeria are doing to the real pioneers of women’s football.
   It then means that the pronouncement of FIFA top official, Bareman on the choice of Odemwingie as the Trophy Bearer has superceded any other argument of the role of men in Women’s Football. 
   I rest my case.