WAFCON: Tribute To The Founding Fathers 

By Harry Awurumibe, Africa’s No. I Women Football Journalist

Twenty-four hours to the kick-off of the 13th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), formerly known as the African Women Championship (AWC), the entire African continent, especially ardent football followers and women’s game in particular owe a huge gratitude to the foresight of past leadership  of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for introducing the biennial women’s football competition amongst young women in the continent 27 years ago.

Prior to the maiden edition of WAFCON in 1998 in Nigeria, not much was heard about women’s football in the continent as only a few countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Congo, Guinea, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and later Egypt and Morocco joined the fray. That number was grossly inadequate compared to what was obtained in the continents of Europe, Asia, Oceania, CONMEBOL, and CONCACAF.

For example, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) organised a continental women’s football tournament in 1991. It served as the European qualifying round for the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup staged in China in 1991 while CAF chose her representative through a homa and away format.

CAF continued this format for 1995 FIFA Women’s World Cup held in Sweden, which Nigeria emerged the champion again after defeating South Africa in the last African qualifiers to pick the sole ticket to represent tye continent twice in a row.

However, it was not a  surprise when CAF leadership under late President Issa Hayatou of Cameroon jumped at the idea brought by a Member Association (MA), the then Nigeria Football Association (NFA) now NFF to host the first-ever  women’s football championship in 1998.

Afterall the continental football governing body had wanted to align the women’s game with other continental bodies like UEFA and CONCACAF by introducing a biennial eight-team championship to be used as a qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for African nations.

As expected, Nigeria lived up to the expectations of all in hosting a near perfect maiden WAFCON from Saturday, October 17 to 31, 1998, held in two cities of Kaduna, Kaduna state in the Northern region and Abeokuta, Ogun state in the Southern region of the country thus a biennial international women’s football tournament which has been growing from strength to strength was born.

However,  as we celebrate the tremendous growth of the competition in 27 years,  Africa must pay tribute to the foresight of the Founding Fathers of WAFCON. They are the pioneers of the women’s game, especially the administrators at the continental level, CAF, who thought it wise at the time to accept the sole bid by Nigeria to host the maiden WAFCON in 1998.

No fewer than eight countries-Cameroon, Congo DR, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, and host Nigeria qualified to take part in the three-week women’s football fiesta, Mozambique pulled out of the event at the last minute which resulted to seven countries participating in the competition.

The Super Falcons were in imperious form as Nigeria, playing alongside Morocco, Egypt, and Congo DR in Group A based in Kaduna, trashed hapless Morocco 8-0 in the opening match of the tournament, trounced Congo DR and Egypt 6-0 each in the second and third group games respectively.

Not done, Nigeria walloped Cameroon 6-0 in the semi-final stage in the presence of late CAF President Issa Hayatou, a Cameroonian who watched the match Ranchers Bee Stadium, Kaduna on Tuesday,  October 27, 1998 and went ahead to beat West African arch-rivals Ghana’s Black Queens 2-0 in the epic final played at Gateway Stadium now MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta, Ogun state on Saturday, October 31, 2998 to lift the coveted WAFCON trophy donated by Mrs. Maryam Sani Abacha, the wife of then Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, late General Sani Abacha.

Meanwhile, the birth of WAFCON in 1998 could not have been possible without the noble roles played by the Nigerian government led General Abacha at the behest of some Nigerian football stakeholders, including former Sports Minister, late Air Commodore Samson Emeka Omeruah (rtd), who submitted the hosting rights proposal to Federal Executive Council (FEC) chaired by the Head of State; ex-Chairman of Nigeria Football Association (NFA) (now NFF), Col. Abdulmumini Aminu (rtd), who took the draft proposal to the Sports Minister; former NFA Secretary General, Mallam Sani Ahmed Toro, who received the draft proposal; one-time NSC DG Alhaji Babayo Shehu, and most importantly, the role of former CAF Executive Committee Member and FIFA Council Member, Dr. Amos Adamu, to ensure that the hosting rights became a reality, can not be forgotten in a hurry.

Adamu who served as Director General (DG) of National Sports Commission (NSC) for 10 years, and also Director of Sports Development in the Federal Ministry of Sports and Youths Development, played more than a vital role in expanding the idea conceived by this writer, a Nigerian sports journalist of repute (Harry Awurumibe), whose passion for the development and promotion of women’s football in Nigeria and Africa from1990 to date is unmatched.

Awurumibe submitted an unsolicited draft proposal  to then NFA Chairman (Col. Aminu) through Mallam Toro in 1998 to consider Nigeria hosting a West African sub-regional national women’s football tournament to keep Super Falcons in top shape ahead of the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in United States of America (USA) following the team’s inactivity because Nigeria was serving a CAF    competition suspension following the country’s boycott of 1996 AFCON in South Africa at the instance of General Sani Abacha’s regime citing safety concerns for the Super Eagles after then President Nelson Mandela criticised the military government in Nigeria.

This proposed West African sub-regional women’s football tournament under the auspices of West African Football Union (WAFU) comprising 16 countries that made up the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was seen by then Head of State (General Abacha) as a small tournament for a big country like Nigeria. He was said to have told the delegation led by the Sports Minister Omeruah that the Nigerian government, which he was heading, would prefer to host the entire African women’s football championship with state resources and also donate a gold-plated trophy in the name of Nigeria’s First Lady. The delegation accepted, and the rest is now history.

The Nigerian government’s acceptance to host the young women of Africa was received by football-crazy Nigerian fans with gladness, and it also triggered a series of football activities in Nigeria and across Africa as the NFA Chairman Col. Aminu; Sports Minister Omeruah; Mallam Babayo Shehu, then Director General of National Sports Commission (NSC), Nigeria’s CAF Executive Committee Member and FIFA Council Member, Dr. Amos Adamu, who was the nation’s highest ranking football administrator, led a powerful Nigerian delegation to Cairo, Egypt, to present Nigeria’s Bid Documents to host the new tournament to CAF President Issa Hayatou,   General Secretary Mustapha Fahmy, and other Executive Committee Members.

Again, it was not a surprise that a competition-starved CAF quickly grabbed Nigeria’s Bid with both hands as CAF Executive Committee quickly approved the Bid and also fixed October 17 to 31, 1998, as date for the maiden edition of now successful women’s football tournament WAFCON. It also approved the suggested name, African Women Championship (AWC) “Nigeria  ’98”, acronym.

A happy Nigerian delegation returned to Abuja to kick-start immediate preparations for the upcoming continental women’s football fiesta in a  few month’s time with the setting up of a Local Organising Committee (LOC) headed by Babayo Shehu with Col. Aminu of NFA as Co- Chairman.

Also, one of the greatest football administrators in Africa, Patrick Okpomo, former NFA Assistant Secretary General, and for over a decade served as a Member of the Cup of Nations Organising Committee and CAF General Co-ordinator, was appointed as LOC “Nigeria ’98” General Co-ordinator while Mallam Toro was named Deputy General Co-ordinator, and Barrister Ben Okolo served as Secretary, LOC AWC  “Nigeria ’98” respectively.

Determined to present a strong team, the NFA, which earlier set up what was known as NFA 1997 to 2000 Women’s Football Development Project Team under the leadership  of British-born Mr. Iain Nelson, a one-time  National Marketing Manager of 7Up Bottling Company Plc, to draw up a roadmap for the Super Falcons to do well in both the upcoming championship and the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in United States, activated a campaign to win the maiden WAFCON.

The NFA 1997 to 2000 Women’s Football Development Project Team, which has four NFA Women’s Football Development Sub-Committee members including a vocal women’s football advocate and journalist Harry Awurumibe and Super Falcons head coach late Ismaila Mabo, who later led the team to win the CAF title ensured that Nigeria hosted and won the trophy.

Interestingly, Nelson and Awurumibe, who were also shuttling between Lagos and Abuja, then Nigeria’s new Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at request of NFA management to attend the Local Organising Committee (LOC) Marketing Committee meetings, helped persuade his employers 7Up Bottling Company Plc to become the Official Sponsors of the Super Falcons even as that corporate sponsorship provided the NFA adequate funds to put the senior women’s team in camp in Kaduna for over two months before the competition kicked off and the result was the WAFCON title.

Therefore, the efforts of the above-mentioned Nigerians and huge support of the Nigerian government were handsomely rewarded by the victory of Super Falcons  as Nigeria won the trophy donated to CAF by the country’s First Lady. Nigerian girls went on to win the Mrs. Maryam Sani Abacha trophy for keeps after winning it three straight times in 1998 (Nigeria), 2000 (South Africa) and 2002 (Nigeria),  respectively.

Sadly, before the first-ever WAFCON kicked off in Nigeria, General Abacha, who graciously accepted on behalf of Nigerians to host Africa, died in office four months earlier but his successor General Abdulsalami Abubakar whose wife later presented the WAFCON trophy to the winners, Super Falcons At Gateway Stadium Abeokuta,  Ogun state on Saturday, October 31,1998, did not cancel the competition with the death of General Abacha as military junta always do.

Finally, the combined efforts and foresight of the Founding Fathers of WAFCON should be commended even as we celebrate the tremendous growth of the competition due to sustained support and innovations being introduced into the administration of the women’s game by the past and present CAF leadership, which currently has the hardworking South African billionaire businessman, Patrice Tlhopane Motsepe, as the head of the 54 Member Associations (MAs).

Let WAFCON 2024 Begin

Viva CAF, Long Live Africa