SINCE the withdrawal of soft drink giants, Pepsi, from sponsorship of women football league in the country, it has been a case of one step forward and many backward for the game, which has brought joy to Nigerians.Before the withdrawal, Women League enjoyed tremendous support and improvement, which led to Nigeria's dominant in the continent from 1991. The country's vibrant league system had produced good players who were the toast of football lovers in Africa.Since the national team, the Super Falcons, made it debut at the first FIFA World Cup in China in 1991, it had been a sweet story for the country. The team was also at Sweden '95 and USA '99 editions before making it to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.The Falcons were also at the USA 2003, China 2007 and the 2011 World Cup in Germany posting mixed results along the way. The Nigerians have won five African Women Championship (AWC) titles.But all these seems to be fizzling away, as an uncoordinated league, occasioned by lack of vision on the part of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has brought the once inspiring women football to its knees, with the Falcons failing to qualify for both the 2011 All African Games in Maputo and the London 2012 Olympic Games.Keen followers of the game, however, feel that instead of looking for a lasting solution to the problems bedeviling women's football, the NFF is taking steps that will plunge the game further.They wonder when the position of the national teams coordinator became a part of the women's game in the country and what would be the functions of the chairperson of the Women League Board, if not to also supervise the national teams. They also feel that creating the position of the coordinator could bring conflicts in the women's game.The belief among stakeholders is that Dili Onyedinma, the duely elected chairperson of Women League should also have the powers to supervise the female teams. The role of the women's team coordinator given to Aisha Falode was improper.According to the Chief Media Officer of the NFF, Ademola Olajire, the decision to appoint Falode as coordinator of all women teams (Super Falcons, Falconets and Flamingoes) was taken by the Executive board of the FA and that it was taken in good faith.'The Executive Committee of the NFF can appoint anybody into any position and that was the stand in the case of Aisha Falode. She is the coordinator of all the Women teams, while Onyedinma is the Chairperson of the Women League Board. I don't want to join issue with people who feel that the position is the creation of the new NFF board or not. All I what to say is that they are two different things,' Olajire told The Guardian.However, the appointment of Falode as coordinator is baffling stakeholders in the women game. They feel that the position of coordinator is 'illegal' and a way of compensating Falode who had failed four times in her bid to get into the NFF in the past through the polls.They also wondered why the NFF did not appoint a coordinator for the men's national teams outside the NFF board or league boards in the country.The congress of the Women's League Board took place in Ibadan on Tuesday with Onyedinma presiding. The congress among other things, deliberated on the commencement date of the Women's League and how to repackage the country's women teams to reclaim its pride in African football.While Onyedinma was facing that task, Falode was in Kenya leading the national U-17 Women's Team, Flamingoes, for the first leg, first round of the African qualifying series for the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, which will hold in Azerbaijan. The Nigerian girls won the game 2-0.Some coaches and players who converged at the National Stadium, Lagos, for the kick off of the 2012 Amalgamation of Nigeria Women Football Club Coaches All Stars Championship were also taken aback by the development.A majority of them see the 'division of functions' in women's football as a time bomb, which if not reversed immediately, would explode and crumble the game.One of the coaches said: 'I don't understand why the NFF suddenly created this role of a coordinator for all the women teams. It is obvious they want to favour Falode but there are better ways of doing it. This position has never existed and I really pity this woman (Onyedinma) because this is a clear case of oppression by the NFF.'I foresee more danger looming in women football league. What is good for the goose is good for the ganders. The Falode I know will never take this oppression from anybody if she had emerged winner at the election. Is it a matter of life and death to be on the board''I remember she contested election under the South-West ticket sometimes ago and lost. When it was clear that she had a big mountain to climb before securing the ticket in the South-West Zone, she quickly crossed to Edo State (South-South zone). I think the Maigari-led board of the NFF should look inward and retrace its footsteps as quickly as possible for women football to move forward in this country,' the coach added.One of the players taking part in the 2012 Amalgamation of Nigeria Women Football Club Coaches All Stars Championship, who identified herself simply as Shade, asked in this chat with The Guardian during the week at the National Stadium in Lagos: 'Does the NFF really wants to reform the women football' If yes, then the leaders must have the fear of God. There seems to be so much deliberate wickedness on the part of NFF officials and the earlier they look inward, the better for the game.Meanwhile, there are insinuations in some quarters that the girls being paraded by Coach Peter Dedevbo as national U-17 players are overaged.No wonder former Super Falcons coach, Eucheria Uche, declared shortly after failing to qualify for the All African Games and the London 2012 Olympic Games that the major problem facing the country's women football are man made, which needed concerted efforts and prayers to combat.
Click here to read full news..
