By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
An African proverb which is also an Igbo adage said “an elder does not sit at home and watch a tethered goat deliver” (Okenye anaghi ano n’ulo ewu amuo na agbu).
The above proverb explains why it has become imperative for this writer to pen this report to expose the rot in Nigeria women’s football which if left to fester will render useless the efforts of pioneers of the beautiful game especially those who put in their scarce resources and also devoted their time in the development, growth, promotion and administration of women’s football in Nigeria and to nurture it to money-spinning sport it has now become in the country.
With each of the 23 players registered by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to represent the country in the just concluded FIFA Women’s World Cup final in Australia and New Zealand guaranteed a huge sum of $60,000, which translates to about N48 m in local currency, aside camp allowances and bonus, women’s football has become a profitable sports that can no longer be treated like a recreational sports.
But the labours of pioneer women’s football promoters, sponsors, club owners, coaches, players and supporters would have been in vain if the rot in the game in Nigeria is allowed to continue even as the country will be the worst for it because Nigeria is currently no longer a force in women’s football in Africa.
The pointer to the fact that Nigeria has lost her status as a strong force in women’s football in the continent is the inability of the country’s club Delta Queens FC of Asaba to qualify for the 2023 CAF Women’s Champions League. The Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) Premier champions was defeated 1-0 by Ampem Darkoa Ladies FC of Ghana in the final of West African Football Union (WAFU-B) tournament in Benin City, Edo state last Thursday.
The latest failure of Nigeria’s club to qualify for CAFWCL is coming on the back of the 11-time African champions, Super Falcons’ inability to make a podium finish in the last Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco in 2022. Super Falcons handled by American-born Randy Waldrum finished in the fourth place in Morocco, a big failure by country’s pedigree on the continent.
Nigeria, the defending champion was defeated in the group stage by the eventual cup winners South Africa, lost in the semi final to host Morocco in a penalty shootout and again beaten by Zambia in the 3rd Place match to leave the competition without a medal.
Continuing in the pattern of poor run trailing Nigeria football in the recent time, the two clubs, Rivers Angels of Port Harcourt and Bayelsa Queens of Yenagoa that represented Nigeria in the two previous CAFWCL finals returned home empty-handed.
Nigeria’s representatives in the maiden edition in 2021, Rivers Angels crashed out in the group stage of the eight-team tournament after arriving the competition venue in Egypt less than 24 hours to the club’s first match. Also, Bayelsa Queens who qualified for the competition in 2022 crashed out in the semi final stage.
Recently, Nigeria was eliminated by England women’s football team, the Three Lionesses in the Round of 16 stage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup final in Australia and New Zealand, a country that went ahead to play in the final against Spain and lost by a lone goal.
A careful analysis of the poor performance of the country’s teams (national and clubs) both
in the continent and globally, and now in the sub-continental tournament like WAFU B qualifiers revealed that women’s football is fast dying in Nigeria as the game cannot by any yardstick be said to be growing in the country.
Flashback to the early 1990s when the foundation of women’s football was laid by private individuals who deployed their wealth to build from the scratch, the brand called women’s football in Nigeria by investing their resources in setting up and funding pioneer women’s football clubs in Nigeria.
These pioneers including Chief Christopher Abisuga’s Golden Wonders of Lagos; Princess Hannah Bola Jegede’s Jegede Babes of Lagos; Elder Bola Kuejunbola’s Ufuoma Babes of Warri and Chief Larry Ezeh’s Larry Angels of Port Harcourt (now Rivers Angels), made great sacrifices to start early women’s football clubs.
Other clubs founded by individuals are Hamza Admirers Ladies (Alhaji Grema Mohammed), C.N.Okoli Babes (Chief CN Okoli) and later Kakanfo Queens of Abeokuta Chief (Mrs) Simbiat Abiola, Oladimeji Tigresss FC of Ilorin (Alhaja Rasheedat Oladimeji) and Omidiran Babes of Oshogbo (Alhaja Ayo Omidiran).
In fact, by 1991, no fewer than 13 private women’s football clubs were domiciled in Lagos alone while Kano had three, Kaduna two, Ibadan two, Benin City, Warri, Port Harcourt, Owerri, Enugu, Ogoja, Kafanchan, Jos and Maiduguri had women’s football teams that were playing in the Nigeria women’s football league across the country.
For example, a Lagos-based Princess Jegede Babes FC travelled up North several times to honour their away games including to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state to do battles with El Kanemi Queens of Maiduguri and to Mangu Township Stadium in Jos North to play against Tin City Queens FC handled by ex-Super Falcons Head Coach, Alhaji Ismaila Mabo.
Also, Omidiran Babes of Oshogbo and Oladimeji Tigress FC of Ilorin travelled to Calabar and Port Harcourt to confront Pelican Stars and Rivers Angels FC just as Kakanfo Queens of Abeokuta owned by late MKO Abiola’s wife, Chief (Mrs) Simbiat travelled across the country for their away games.
Then it was a strong field of 20 clubs with each team playing a total of 38 matches before a champion club could emerge. This was how top clubs like high-flying Ufuoma Babes FC of Warri; Pelican Stars and Rivers Angels became undisputed NWFL champions.
There was no gainsaying the fact that the women’s football league was well organised by the pioneers who even formed the Nigerian Female Football Organisers Association (NIFFOA) which later became Nigerian Female Football Proprietors Association (NIFFPA) after the leadership of the pressure group met with the then Chairman of Nigeria Football Association (NFA) late Justice Chuba Ikpeazu who advised the group to make the name change to be recognised by the NFA at a meeting held in Lagos on March 14, 1989. Led by Abisuga, NIFFPA made women’s football popular in Nigeria afterwards.
Today, the reverse is the case as the so-called NWFL Professional is everything but professional because the current structure is faulty and those put incharge of the women’s league and those at the helm of affairs at Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Women’s Football Department do not have a good understanding of the foundation of women’s football in Nigeria.
The NWFL which produced 100% of Super Falcons players that played in three FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991, 1995 and 1999, did not produce a single player in the just concluded World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Deborah Abiodun who was listed as Rivers Angels joined Pittsburgh Panthers women’s soccer club before the competition kicked off while captain Onome Ebi actually joined Abia Angels to keep fit because she was Europe-based.
Truth be told, the current women’s football league reduced to an abridged format with the surviving 14 clubs in Nigeria divided into Group A and B with seven teams each cannot produce a team that will compete with top clubs from other countries in Africa.
This new format has resulted to the 14 clubs playing fewer games in a full season with each club in the group playing only 12 matches in one year hence the introduction of another contraption called “Super 6 Play-Off”. It involves three top clubs in Group A and B having another round of matches in a chosen venue to determine the champion team.
Unfortunately, it was this type of league that produced Rivers Angels that was not able to compete favourably in the maiden CAF WCL in Egypt in 2021 and Bayelsa Queens in Morocco in 2022 respectively.
Sadly, Nigerian clubs can no longer compete in West Africa Zone and with clubs from countries that never introduced women’s football league when Nigeria was dominating Africa.
It is therefore foolhardy for anyone to believe that Nigeria’s women’s football teams including the Super Falcons will continue to dominate Africa when the conveyor belt or supply chain (the women’s football league) is faulty and needs immediate overhaul. READ ALSO:
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It calls to question the manner of “Premier Women’s Football League” being currently organised in Nigeria when the champions of the same league could be roundly beaten by clubs from the West African sub-region.
It will not be wrong to argue that women’s football was at its best in Nigeria in the 1990s and 2000s when astute women’s football administrators were incharge at clubs and national team levels, a period the Super Falcons was unplayable in Africa and a force at world level by reaching the quarter final of the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup in the United States of America (USA).
Interestingly, the feat by the Super Falcons was achieved with 100% Nigerian women’s football league players and all indigenous coaches, defeating European and Asian top nations, Denmark and North Korea on the way to the quarter final clash with Brazil.
Until the present NFF leadership takes the bull by the horns and declare a State of Emergency on women’s football in Nigeria and also set up a Special Taskforce to retool the game, the time will come when Nigerian clubs and the national teams will qualify for the continental and global football competitions.
Luckily, some of the pioneers are still alive and well and can be brought closer to the football house to contribute to the revitalization of the game in Nigeria and bring the country back to the top in Africa where South Africa, Morocco and Egypt are currently occupying.
