By Harry Awurumibe, Africa’s No.1 Women Football Journalist
New Sheriff’s in Town…South Africa is the New champions of the continent after Nigeria was dethroned by Morocco in the semi final stage.
Those who still believe that Nigeria is a force to reckon with in women’s football in Africa at both clubs and national team levels should better wake up from the dream land and accept the current reality that Nigeria has fallen from top to bottom of the ladder.
Although Nigeria still occupy the Number One position in Africa according to the monthly FIFA Women’s World Ranking, the reality on ground shows otherwise because Nigeria is currently the Number Four in the continent behind South Africa, Morocco and even Zambia as all the three countries defeated the West African nation in the last Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) held in Morocco last July.
Infact, keen followers of women’s football development in Nigeria and across the world can attest that Nigeria has totally lost grip of her top position in Africa if the spate of bad results the senior national women’s football team, the Super Falcons recorded in the last WAFCON in Morocco are anything to rely upon.
Celebration Time. ..Atlas Lionesses Morocco stopped Nigeria from reaching the final to defend the WAFCON trophy the won in Ghana in 2018.
Nigeria’s Super Falcons were defeated in the group stage by South Africa, beaten in the semi final by Morocco via penalty shoot-out and, also edged by lowly rated Zambia in the third placed match of the tournament.
Four months after the African women’s football fiesta in Morocco where the Super Falcons suffered three defeats in six matches, Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) champions Bayelsa Queens football club of Yenagoa also suffered two defeats in the hands of champions of Morocco, ASFAR Club in the just concluded 2nd CAF Women’s Champions League held in Morocco.
Bayelsa Queens who also represented West African Football Union (WAFU) Zone B in the eight-team CAF competition were also defeated in the group stage by South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
Champions Pose…ASFAR Club of Morocco won the 2nd CAF Women’s Champions League last Sunday in Rabat
The club was able to bounce back to beat TP Mazembe women’s outfit in the 3rd place match to win CAF WCL Bronze medal which can be termed an improved position than what Rivers Angels FC of Port Harcourt, another club from Nigeria achieved in the 2021 edition of the African club competition.
A closer look at the steady decline of Nigerian women’s football teams especially the recent capitulation of the Super Falcons, Bayelsa Queens and Rivers Angels when pitched against South Africa, Moroccan and other African opponents, clearly shows that Nigeria has been left behind in the development of women’s football in Africa, not to talk of the world.
Prior to 2022 WAFCON, Nigeria has been bestriding the African women’s football scene like a colossus and in the process has won nine WAFCON trophy with the first being at the first edition of AWC hosted by Nigeria in 1998.
Add two times Nigeria was the champion of Africa in 1991 and 1995 when the Super Falcons were Africa’s sole representatives in the maiden FIFA Women’s World Cup final and the second edition in China and Sweden respectively, the country has won the prestigious African women’s football trophy a record 11 times.
Indeed, Nigeria used to be the powerhouse of African football especially in the women cadre as the country was in a class of her own when Nigeria hosted the 1st African Women’s Championship (now WAFCON) 22 years ago, the Super Falcons, took the title in an unbeaten run of five matches scoring a remarkable 28 goals without conceding a single goal.
In fact, Nigeria’s new nemesis at national team and clubside levels Morocco was thrashed 8-0 by the Super Falcons in the opening match of the maiden AWC at Ranch Bees stadium in Kaduna just as the team tutored by veteran coach Ismaila Mabo demolished other opponents with ease.
The Nigerian team captained by the then 23-year-old Florence Omagbemi were pure class as they subsequently decimated DR Congo (4-0) and Egypt (6-0) to finish on top of Group A with the maximum points. They also hit Cameroon for six without conceeding in the semi-final and defeated the Black Queens of Ghana 2-0 in the final with goals in either half of the epic match by vice captain Nkiru Okosieme and speedster Stella Mbachu.
Behold The Multiple Champions. ..The all conquering Super Falcons Class of 1998 with maiden Africa Women Championship (AWC) now called WAFCON
It is on record that for 11straight years Nigeria did not lose any match to an African opposition from Saturday, February 16, 1991 when Nigeria played and defeated Ghana Black Queens 5-1 in her first international Grade A match at National Stadium Surulere, Lagos, a FIFA Women’s World Cup African qualifier tie against visiting the Black Queens, till December, 2002 during the 3rd WAFCON in Warri, Delta state.
The Black Queens inflicted the Falcons’ first ever defeat by an African opponent at the championship following their 1-0 group stage win at the 2002 edition held in Nigeria, although the host country faced Ghana again in the final and had the opportunity to avenge their group stage loss.
Nigeria defeated Ghana 2-0 in the final to win the trophy donated to CAF by former First Lady of Nigeria, Dr. (Mrs) Maryam Sani Abacha for keep even as the two goals of the game were scored by attacking midfielder Perpetua Nkwocha and defensive midfielder Effioanwan Ekpo, both of who play for Pelican Stars of Calabar to seal victory in style for Nigeria.
That was how fearsome the Nigerian senior women’s football team was from 1990s and 2000s which was the reason the country went on to lift the WAFCON trophy six more time after the 2002 including in 2018 WAFCON in Ghana.
Also, Nigeria has been a regular face at the FIFA Women’s World Cup final since the maiden edition in 1991 in China. The country has also qualified for the 2023 edition in Australia and New Zealand thereby becoming one of the few countries to have qualified for the women version of the Mundial every four years.
However, Nigeria’s superiority over other African countries in women’s football has since evaporated like early morning dew as the dethroned African champions have fallen from grace to grass.
But the rot in women’s football in Nigeria did not start at the last edition of WAFCON in Morocco in 2022 where the country finished in the fourth place with the Super Falcons playing the worst brand of football that was too ugly to behold with the eyes.
Pioneers of Women’s Football …Princess Hannah Bola Jegede Proprietress of Jegede Babes FC presenting a gold cup to Chairman of Nigeria Female Football Owners Association (NIFFOA), Chief Christopher Abisuga to stage the first national women’s football championship tagged Lagos 1990.
Specifically, women’s football has witnessed a retarded growth in Nigeria in the past decade country with grassroots football worst affected as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) past and present has not made a deliberate efforts to develop women’s football from the basics.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, the supply chain for the national team players was well oil-ed with private and corporate bodies promoting, sponsoring and developing women’s football at the grassroots level hence the Super Falcons ruled the African continent for decades.
For example, pioneer women’s football promoters like Otunba Christopher Abisuga, Elder Eddington Kuejunbola and Prince Larry Eze, proprietors of the defunct Golden Wonders of Lagos; Ufuoma Babes of Warri and Rivers Angels Ladies of Port Harcourt as well as Princess Hannah Ngozi Bola Jegede, the Proprietress of Princess Jegede of Lagos and two-time Executive Board Member of NFF were amongst the patriots who spent their wealth and time to promote women’s football in Nigeria.
Aside the quartet, others who contributed to the development of women’s football in Nigeria in the 1990s are Chief (Mrs) Gina Yesibo, a matron of Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON) powered by late shipping magnet, Chief Dokun Abidoye; late Chief (Mrs) Simbiat Abiola, owner of Kakanfo Queens FC of Abeokuta and Mazi John Obijiaku, Chairman of Flying Angels FC of Lagos that produced longest serving Super Falcons No.1 goalkeeper Ann Agumanu-Chiejine.
History makers…Super Falcons Class of 1991 that won six matches on the way to become first African women’s team to play in an official FIFA Women World Cup final in China
They and others who are captured in the book: ‘Genesis of Female Soccer in Nigeria (1991)’ co-authored by Harry Chidozie Awurumibe and Christopher Akintunde Abisuga, played crucial roles in conjunction with some pioneer women’s football journalists to give the game a massive push for national and international recognition in 1990s.
Perhaps, worthy of recognition is the pioneer corporate sponsorship role of Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc, Cadbury Nigeria Plc , Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and private but wealthy Nigerians like the late Chief Moshood Abiola, Chief Sebastian Babatunde Williams, Chief C.N.Okoli, .Alhaji Grema Mohammed, Chief Femi Olukanmi among others for supporting women’s football.
To be continued on Thursday
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