By Tony Ubani, Abidjan
Aisha Falode is one of the few female members of the Nigeria Football Federation whose knowledge of the round leather game cannot be over-emphasised. As a former President of the Nigeria Women Football League, Mama Sports as she is fondly called by her colleagues and admirers accentuated the rise of the Super Falcons and women football in general in Nigeria. The journalist-turned sports administrator is in Abidjan for the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations. Faced with the stark reality of a historic encounter between Nigeria and Cameroon, Falode remains confident that the Super Eagles should overcome the seemingly tough hurdle.
In a chat with the Group Sports Editor, TONY UBANI, she observed that qualifying for the round of 16, shows that the Super Eagles are a team that gets better as the tournament progresses. “I want to see our game against Cameroon as a test of character for our team. We have players who have quality in that team and they need to bring out their best and change their attitude. This is a knockout stage. Once you lose a match that’s the end of the tournament for you.”
Falode believes a change of attitude and character by the players would impact greatly on the game. “We must be ready to fight for a win,” she intoned. “It’s about who is hungrier to proceed in the tournament,” adding, “they must show that passion, willingness and a reinvention of that DNA that made Nigeria the dreaded team in the 90s and early 2000s.”
Apart from what the players get in terms of technical tutelage from coach Jose Peseiro, Falode recognised the psychological and moral benefits of the presence of some ex-Nigeria internationals like Jay Jay Okocha, Daniel Amokachi and Chief Odegbami (all AFCON winners) who have been counseling and motivating them. “They have a lot of weight on their shoulders because of expectations to deliver on Saturday. If they have to bring out their blood to win, then they should do that. I’m sure that they will deliver.”
The former Chairperson of the Nigerian Women Football League gave her thoughts on the unpredictability of AFCON 2023:
“This is a Nations Cup that is unpredictable in intensity, quality and style. It’s an expanded tournament with the increase in the number of participating teams It just confirms the fact that there are no longer minnows in African football. Those they call minnows have been giving the traditional teams a hard time. Teams like Mauritania, Gambia threatening to send others out of the competition. You now have traditional teams that are struggling. Cameroon had to wait till the last match to qualify.”
Continuing, she said, “Ghana are out of the competition. Algeria are out too. We saw the host(CIV) play three games and lost one of them scandalously in front of their home crowd. You have teams like Cape Verde giving us some quality and enjoyable football that Africa should be proud of. This Nations Cup, you cannot tell who can win it. We must commend the Confederation of African Football and members for what they have done with football. It just shows CAF’s intention and deliberate attitude towards the game; wanting to improve and compete with the best in the world. It’s a tough tournament that will become a talking point in football circles globally.”
The passion, commitment and patriotism from both the players and the fans have been unbelievable. Falode noted, “we have seen men crying, women and children crying when their teams lose. We have players wanting to really give their sweat and blood to the color of the jersey they are wearing. This Nations Cup is different from what we have seen in the past.”
Has she noticed any improvements in terms of standard of football? “Yes of course,” she interjected. “That is the summary. It’s a positive improvement for that matter. It’s better than any past Nations Cup. This is no longer the case of where they separate the men from the boys. The men and boys are of the same standing and the boys have even displaced the men from the game. That is an improvement in Africa. Africa needs a bit more dedication and commitment to the administration of the game on the continent and then we can walk with our noses in front in the world.”
In terms of facilities, Falode said, what she has seen on ground was a justification for the long wait. “We keep saying that facility is a problem in Africa but this Nations Cup shows otherwise. Though it was postponed from 2023 because of poor facilities, CAF wanted to be sure that they give the best, even if they had to sacrifice another year to get the facilities. You can see that it’s worth it. Good facilities are an attraction on television. If you play good football on a bad turf it’s an eyesore. If you play bad football on a good pitch it’s inviting and exciting. For what they have done with facilities, we must commend the host government and their people for committing so much resource to building and refurbishing the facilities for this tournament. Every stadium here is an artwork and that is what Africa must begin to invest in. It contributes to the economic growth of a country and it’s an investment that brings back return.”
She posited that Ivory Coast was reaping bountifully as hosts of the tournament. “We are just talking about the number of flights that come from Lagos and Abuja to Ivory Coast on a daily basis now. They are using bigger aircrafts because of football. It is the same thing with the 24 countries that are participating in this tournament. The tourism impact, the transportation, buying and selling in the stadium. The gains are huge. We must take some lessons back home from here and let them know that it is time that we proved that we are the giant of Africa by hosting events. That will mean that you must have the facilities.”
One significant talking point in the ongoing AFCON is the role of Video Assistant Referee(VAR). Falode expressed her approval for the innovation. “I was one of those critics who said they want to turn our beautiful game to Tennis where you play, stop and the umpire talks to the players and vice versa. VAR has changed the complexion of football. No cheating. Fairness is the right thing. Dignity has been restored to football. Winners are true champions. There is nothing like hand of god. If not for VAR Cameroon would have been knocked out when a player scored with his hand. We need other eyes to see things that the referee may not pick up. They pick it up and give fairness and equity to the game. It makes the winners true winners. It’s very difficult now to have controversial decisions in football. Even when people say that officiating is not fair. I do not want to argue. VAR technology has brought fairness. In that regard I will say VAR is excellent.”
The plight of players who ply their trade in the Nigeria Premier League in the hands of national team selectors and Super Eagles coaches. Out of the 25 players in the ongoing AFCON, only one goalkeeper is from the domestic league. She made a useful suggestion.
“Personally, I think the way to grow any national team should be from the League. We must have a scouting system in our domestic League. That should be a unit on its own to go around and watch the matches and look out for players who are potentials for the national teams.”
On the Super Falcons, she believes that the female national team can only build on what they have achieved in the last few years.
“In the next three to four years with the momentum we had in Australia, it is expected that the Falcons should be among the first top 10 in the world. They were top 10 in Australia among the participating teams. Now, we need to build on that. Falcons have had their ups and downs but they’re the envy of many countries.
“We have to sustain that bond and mentality in the team. In a couple of weeks, they will begin their Olympic qualification series. We’ve not been to the Olympics in the last three editions. With the momentum of the World Cup we should be able to build an Olympic ticket to Paris this year. There are only two teams representing Africa at the Olympics.
” We’ve to ensure that Nigeria is there. We’re going to play Cameroon Lionesses. They have lost everything now. We denied them the WAFCON and the World Cup. They’re going to do everything to hit us back and pick the Olympic ticket. We need to beat Cameroon home and away. The Falcons we have now is still work in progress.
“The players are graduating from U17 to U20 and U20 to Super Falcons. There are so many talents to pull. How do we harness them, how do we identify them? We have too many talents but the problem is identifying and harnessing them.”