Falcons Still Treated Poorly

Nigeria’s national female football team, the Falcons, is like none in the world. Out of 10 editions of Africa’s continental tournament, they have won eight; but still, the respect they deserve is not accorded even though they have more than earned it.
Last week, they left Nigeria looking like a rag-tag bunch of orphans, been sent to a refugee camp, not like the eight-time champions they are.

Some might say they have been unlucky or that the opposition has not been up to scratch but that would be balderdash because you can only beat what is in front of you.

Adeyemi Adesanya, who analyses sports on Radio, believes the lack of respect towards the Falcons is because they are not a cash cow [though they are a prestige heifer]. That accolade goes to the Super Eagles perhaps because most of the Nigeria Football Federation’s sponsorship deals are for the Eagles and those for the Falcons are mainly subsets of deals for the Super Eagles.

The women’s game is no money-spinner

“The NFF is taking care of the Goose that lays the Golden egg,” Adesanya told PREMIUM TIMES. The Super Eagles are the product that keeps giving. I think the NFF’s challenge borders on laziness and a lack of ideas

“Just look at most deals surrounding the Super Eagles; they are all competition by competition; maybe except for one. Until we learn to develop the game, bottom-up and not up bottom down we will remain where we are.”

For Chijioke Ezeali, who writes for Sporting Life, it is utter disdain from the footballing house.

“This NFF board has displayed a high level of disregard for the women’s game in Nigeria since taking charge. Their sins are countless. I was at a press conference before the 2018 World Cup when [Amaju] Pinnick promised that the Falcons would get a new coach within seven days.

Ezeali added: “In terms of planning and implementation – nothing is organised, and it’s an insult to this great nation after the success the girls have delivered.”

Lack Of Respect Deep-rooted

We can not forget how the U-20 ladies were treated recently – what with them kneeling to collect money due to them from the sports minister.

Despite being burdened with this clear lack of recognition from the NFF, the ladies, at whatever age category, continue to perform wonders and continuously outperform their male counterparts.

Sola Aiyepeku looks at the conundrum and fingers our culture as the reason these ladies are not respected and have continually had their dues denied them.

“Unfortunately, the problem is not solely an NFF issue, it’s cultural. Women are sadly treated like second-class citizens.”

Tayo Adetunji agrees with Aiyepeku. “Due to our culture of patriarchy, we tend to undercut the ladies. Even when they complain, we always look the other way with the suggestion they are just being overly emotional.”

And with no champion for their cause, Aiyepeku added, “Nobody has taken up the gauntlet of consistently championing the cause of the woman’s game if any has championed it at all.

“And too few women are in decision-making positions with the ones in those positions either succumbing to the status quo or they cannot be bothered to challenge for fear of being ostracized from goodly crumbs that typically reach them.”

Even in climes where football is well developed, the women’s game is at best at infancy.

Same Across The World

Aiyepeku continued: “Globally female football does not have the same attraction, power, and money as the male game. Most countries don’t treat the women’s game equally though they don’t blatantly allow so many reasons for complaints as is the Nigerian case.

“Bottom line is there is little money or leverage in the female game and it’s so clear here. A good example is Nigeria’s non-descript female league.

“No visionary leadership to recognise and innovatively capitalise on the emotional appeal and opportunities of Nigeria female football and Falcons (& Africa) to position them in their own niche regardless of the female game’s lowly stature in comparison with the male game globally.”

He then advised that “until all the above are taken into consideration, the Falcons will continue to ‘appeal’ or ‘beg’ for ‘help’, for attention, and for crumbs rather than being positioned or presented to stand as a reference point for success in their own right.”

For Adetunji, the NFF needs a paradigm shift to promote and develop the women’s game because it can give much more. “There is an absolute lack of willpower form the administrators on the development of the women’s game.

“There is no roadmap to determine what we want to achieve with the ladies. We all know all efforts are being geared towards the Super Eagles qualifying for the Nations Cup and by extension, the next World Cup.

“However, for the ladies, we have taken it for granted that they will always qualify on the African soil. The World Cup is just a by-product. So, there is complacency by our administrators who should really know better.”