By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
It is no longer news that the reigning Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) champions Edo Queens won the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League West African Football Union (WAFU) Zone B tournament which ended in Abidjan capital of Cote d Ivoire at the weekend.
Edo Queens which beat Ainonvi FC of Benin Republic in the WAFU B qualifiers final match have become the third Nigerian team to qualify for CAF Women’s Champions League (CAF WCL) which was introduced by CAF in 2020 but was held for the first time in Egypt in 2021.
Former NWFL champions, Rivers Angels were the first Nigerian club to qualify for the event, although the team finished second in WAFU B tournament which was won by Hasaacas Ladies of Ghana in 2021 but the Zone produced two clubs by virtue of Nigeria being the holder of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) which ensured the participation of Rivers Angels but the team finished overall sixth out of eight teams in Egypt.
Bayelsa Queens FC, who competed in the 2022 edition are the second Nigerian club that qualified for the CAF WCL after winning the WAFU B qualifiers tournament and went ahead to finish 3rd in the competition hosted by Morocco.
Sadly, former NWFL champions Delta Queens FC failed to qualify for the 3rd edition after the team fumbled in the final of the 2023 CAF WCL WAFU B qualifiers tournament held in Benin City, Edo State of Nigeria from August 18 to 31. Delta Queens lost 1-0 to Ampem Darkoa at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.
However, Edo Queens who will be making their debut in the continental women’s club football championship later in the year showed dominance in the WAFU B qualifiers against some of the favourites including host team Inter d’Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire`).
HOW EDO QUEENS LIFTED WAFU B CUP
Unknown to many, Edo Queens’ impressive outing in Cote d’Ivoire did not come by mere luck but by the technical prowess of the team’s head coach Moses Aduku whose impressive records in the domestic women’s league cannot be ignored.
Interestingly, the victory of Edo Queens led by Aduku in Cote d’ Ivoire at the weekend has restored some respect to Nigeria, once the powerhouse of women’s football in Africa but whose ratings at the moment have nosedived in the recent time following the poor performances of Super Falcons at the last WAFCON in Morocco and Delta Queens inability to qualify for the last CAF WCL.
Coach Aduku’s team was in killer-mood throughout the competition as it walloped AS National Guard of Niger Republic 5-0 in the first match, thrashed highly rated Hasaacas Ladies of Ghana 3-0 and pipped AO Étincelles of Burkina Faso 1-0 in the group stage.
Edo Queens went on to defeat host club Inter Abidjan of Côte d’Ivoire 2-1 in the keenly contested semi final tie and hammered hard-fighting Ainonvi FC of Benin Republic 3-0 in the final match.
Edo Queens ended the tournament without a defeat, conceeding only a solitary goal and scoring a whopping 14 goals in five matches. The team did not only emerge champions but produced the tournament’s Top Scorer in Emem Essien, with five goals and Player of the Final in Suliat Abideen.
In fact, Edo Queens of West Africa have established themselves as prominent forces in Nigerian and West African women’s football league ahead of taking on the rest of Africa in November.
The club which is solely sponsored by Edo State Government and based in Benin City boasts a rich legacy of success both nationally and internationally even as the Queens not only embody sporting excellence but also serve as role models and ambassadors for football in Nigeria.
The government insists that off the pitch, the team is actively involved in community programs and initiatives aimed at empowering women through sports.
COACH MOSES ADUKU’S WINNING PEDIGREE
Although Edo Queens have consistently been among the top contenders in Nigeria’s women’s premier league for many years, they have not as successful as the recent achievements under the guide of the current head coach Moses Aduku who has with eight months led Edo Queens to become the 2024 NWFL Champions and 2024 WAFU B Champions.
Known for his team’s technical, tactical and dynamic play, Aduku is fast establishing himself as the man with ‘Midas Touch’ as he has been winning trophies at his last two NWFL teams namely Bayelsa Queens and Edo Queens respectively.
Before joining Edo Queens in July 2022 for an initial two-year contract, Aduku led Bayelsa Queens to lift the 2021/2022 NWFL Premiership trophy after defeating Nasarawa Amazons at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin, qualifying Bayelsa Queens for the CAF Women’s Champions Leagu WAFU B Qualifiers Tournament, although he did not take the team to the competition because of national team (Falconets) assignment which happened at the same time in 2022.
He also led Bayelsa Queens to win the 2022 Federation Cup and NWFL Champion of Champions trophy in the same year before sensationally leaving his home town club for Edo Queens for higher challenges with a charge to win the CAF trophy for his new team.
Less than two years on the job, Aduku has won a national and sub-regional as Edo Queens are NWFL and CAF Women’s Champions League WAFU B Zone champions.
Statistics have shown that Aduku is the hottest domestic women’s league coach in Nigeria at the moment as his teams have made podium finish more than any club coach between 2018 to 2024 with Bayelsa Queens and Edo Queens winning three NWFL titles, one (AITEO) President Federation Cup and CAF Women’s Champions League WAFU B Zone Cup respectively.
His technical and tactical prowess showed in Cote d’ Ivoire where his team emerged champions without losing or drawing any match and scoring many goals in the process.
ADUKU AS NATIONAL TEAM MATERIAL
With the above impressive winning records, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) should not hesitate to entrust Aduku who is a National Institute of Sports (NIS) graduate and CAF certified coach, a higher responsibility of leading one of the three national women’s football teams U-17 (Flamingos), U-20 (Falconets) and senior women’s national team, Super Falcons.
This is the only way to convince Nigerians that the federation is serious about seeing the best coaches in the league who produce the players also manage them in the national teams as it is done in other climes rather than drafting in coaches whose teams are not performing in the domestic women’s league to be incharge of Flamingos, Falconets and Super Falcons respectively.
*2024 CAF Women’s Champions League WAFU-B Tournament At A Glance*
*Participating teams*
1.Ainonvi FC (Benin)
2.Hasaacas Ladies (Ghana)
3.Inter Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire)
4.AO Étincelles (Burkina Faso)
5.AS National Guard (Niger)
6.Edo Queens (Nigeria)
7.ASKO from Kara (Togo)
*Podium Finish*
Winner: Edo Queens (Nigeria)
Runner-up: Ainonvi FC (Benin)
Third Place: Inter d’Abidjan (Ivory Coast)
*Awards*
Top Scorer: Emem Essien, 5 goals (Nigeria – Edo Queens)
Player of the Final: Suliat Abideen (Nigeria – Edo Queens).
Best Coach:
Moses Aduku (Nigeria- Edo Queens)
Remaining Spots to Be Confirmed for the Following Zones
Host: To be confirmed
Title Holders: Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
WAFU A: Aigles de la Médina (Senegal)
WAFU B: Edo Queens (Nigeria)
UNIFFAC: TP Mazembe (DR Congo)
COSAFA: University of Western Cape (South Africa)
CECAFA: To be confirmed
UNAF : To be confirmed. READ ALSO:
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