VANGUARD
Super Falcons forward Ifeoma Onumonu has lamented the poor treatment the team had been receiving from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) following the team’s elimination from the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Onumonu was named in the starting XI for Nigeria in the 4-2 loss via penalties to the Lionesses of England on Monday.
The 29-year-old Gotham FC forward told the Guardian that there are not many resources available in the country compared to their counterparts.
She said, “I’ve seen what [resources] England have access to. In Nigeria, we don’t have access to much. Our training fields aren’t great. Where we sleep isn’t great. Sometimes we share beds.
“It’s not good enough. In terms of recovery, we don’t have much of any of that. We don’t have access to a gym in camp in Nigeria.
“There’s a lot that needs to be done. Hopefully more people [will] start to talk about it. Coming here it’s hard to adjust. We do what we can because we love playing for our country but hopefully they make it easier for us to do our best.”
She also stated that the players have to fight for something bigger.
“[Back home] the [pitches] aren’t great. The grass is rocky, bumps everywhere. The stadium we play in for qualifying… you’d be surprised; I was surprised. You don’t even know where the ball is going to jump at you.
“Our under-20s went far in their World Cup, and when they were sent home, they were sleeping in airports for 24 hours. That’s not acceptable. What we have to fight for is bigger for us.”
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