By Harry Awurumibe, Head, Abuja Bureau
The world football governing body, FIFA has reiterated its position that men are equally important in the development and promotion of women’s football around the globe.
This much was said today by FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer, Sarai Bareman during the official unveiling of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy at the Office of Nigeria’s Sports minister, Solomon Dalung at Abuja National Stadium.
In her speech, Bateman said that it is important to have male ambassadors for women’s football, adding that women’s football needs the support of everybody male and female to succeed.
Apparently justifying why FIFA picked ex- Super Eagles star, Peter Osaze Odemwingie as the France 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy Tour Ambassador to Nigeria, Bareman said ” it is important to have male ambassador speaking for women’s football and it was on the strength of that we (FIFA) chose Peter as one of our ambassadors for the Trophy Tour”.
The FIFA top official’s pronouncement today will put paid to the arguments in the public domain that “only women will be involved in women football affairs”.
Meanwhile, Bareman has congratulated Nigeria for qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup final in France this summer and also
praised the Super Falcons for their consistency in making it to every women’s football final since inception in 1991 in China.
She stated that the essence of the Trophy Tour especially the Stop over in the participating countries is to create a huge public awareness of the upcoming event in France where she revealed that no fewer than 1.3 million fans are expected to attend the matches in France from June 7 to July 7.
