Tinubu receives Nigerian women's team after Africa Cup victory
ABUJA: The Nigerian women's national football team touched down in the capital Monday for an audience with the president, fresh off their weekend Africa Cup championship victory over Morocco. The Super Falcons, winners of Saturday's Women's Africa Cup of Nations final, were greeted on the tarmac at Abuja's international airport by traditional dancers, drummers and a swarm of journalists and government officials.
They then departed in a convoy escorted by security to meet with President Bola Tinubu. The women brought with them their 10th WAFCON trophy, the culmination of years of dominance at the continent level despite struggles at home over late payments and pay disparities with the men's team.
To grab the gold, the Super Falcons mounted a stunning comeback from a seemingly fatal 2-0 deficit, winning 3-2 over their WAFCON hosts in Rabat. Ahead of the match it was announced that Tinubu had personally approved players' tournament bonus payments. The seemingly routine measure has in the past been anything but, with the Super Falcons butting heads with the Nigeria Football Federation over unpaid bonuses after their 2023 Women's World Cup run.
Fans in recent years have also called for the team to be paid the same as the men's team, the Super Eagles. At the presidential villa, Tinubu announced that players would be given a three bedroom apartment as well as a $100,000 cash bonus. 'We could not be prouder,' the president said, adding that he 'didn't want to watch the match' at one point because of the stress.
Problems 'drowned' by victory
For many fans, however, the team got its proper roses with Saturday's trophy, which also served as a temporary relief from the country's many crises, from jihadist insurgency to spiralling inflation. Muhammad Awwal, a taxi driver in Kano, told AFP over the weekend that the women helped Nigerians 'momentarily forget our common problems'. 'All our problems were drowned in the frenzy of celebration of the spectacular win,' he said.
Despite the challenges, the team has made an appearance in every women's World Cup since the tournament debuted in 1991. 'Nigeria is the best country, with the best women's national football team,' said Paul Edeh, chairman of the Benue State Football Association, who was at the airport to greet the team Monday. 'What these girls have been able to achieve... the kind of trophies they've brought to us, we've not seen that with the male team,' he told AFP. While watch parties erupted in cheers across the country Saturday evening, the overall reaction in the country of some 220 million was relatively muted.
Most of the crowd greeting the players as they touched down were airport workers, government officials and journalists. Though the government promised 'the streets of Abuja' would 'be agog' during a citywide parade, ultimately plans were pared back. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
12 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Olympic biathlon champion confirmed dead after accident
KHAPLU: Germany's two-time Olympic biathlon gold medallist Laura Dahlmeier was confirmed dead aged 31 on Wednesday after being hit by falling rocks on a Pakistani mountain. The dangerous nature of the site made rescue efforts 'impossible', her agency said in a statement issued on Wednesday, which confirmed her death. 'Rescue efforts to recover her failed and the operation was suspended,' the statement continued. The accident happened around midday on Monday at an altitude of 5,700 metres (18,700 feet) on Laila Peak in the Karakoram range, according to a statement from her team on her official social media pages. Dahlmeier's climbing partner was able to sound the alarm after reaching safety. 'It was determined that a helicopter rescue is not possible,' Areeb Ahmed Mukhtar, a senior local official in Ghanche district, where the more than 6,000 metre mountain is located, told AFP earlier on Wednesday. 'The conditions at the altitude where she was injured are extremely challenging,' he added. Shipton Trek & Tours Pakistan, which organized the expedition, confirmed the ground rescue by a team of four that includes three Americans and a German mountaineer. Dahlmeier was 'hit by falling rocks,' her team said on Tuesday, adding no one had yet been able to reach her due to the danger of further rockfalls and the site's 'remoteness'. Muhammad Ali, a local disaster management official, told AFP that weather conditions have been 'extremely harsh' in the region for the past week, with rain, strong winds and thick clouds. Dahlmeier, an experienced mountaineer, had been in the region since the end of June and had already ascended the Great Trango Tower. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued a statement on Wednesday calling Dahlmeier 'an ambassador for our country around the world (and) a role model for peaceful, joyful, and fair coexistence across borders.' She won seven world championship gold medals, and at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang she became the first female biathlete to win both the sprint and the pursuit at the same Games. Dahlmeier retired from professional competition in 2019 at the age of 25. She went on to become a commentator on biathlon events for German broadcaster ZDF, and also took up mountaineering. She was a certified mountain and ski guide and an active member of the mountain rescue, according to her team. — AFP
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Kuwait Times
Tinubu receives Nigerian women's team after Africa Cup victory
'All our problems were drowned in the frenzy of the spectacular win' ABUJA: The Nigerian women's national football team touched down in the capital Monday for an audience with the president, fresh off their weekend Africa Cup championship victory over Morocco. The Super Falcons, winners of Saturday's Women's Africa Cup of Nations final, were greeted on the tarmac at Abuja's international airport by traditional dancers, drummers and a swarm of journalists and government officials. They then departed in a convoy escorted by security to meet with President Bola Tinubu. The women brought with them their 10th WAFCON trophy, the culmination of years of dominance at the continent level despite struggles at home over late payments and pay disparities with the men's team. To grab the gold, the Super Falcons mounted a stunning comeback from a seemingly fatal 2-0 deficit, winning 3-2 over their WAFCON hosts in Rabat. Ahead of the match it was announced that Tinubu had personally approved players' tournament bonus payments. The seemingly routine measure has in the past been anything but, with the Super Falcons butting heads with the Nigeria Football Federation over unpaid bonuses after their 2023 Women's World Cup run. Fans in recent years have also called for the team to be paid the same as the men's team, the Super Eagles. At the presidential villa, Tinubu announced that players would be given a three bedroom apartment as well as a $100,000 cash bonus. 'We could not be prouder,' the president said, adding that he 'didn't want to watch the match' at one point because of the stress. Problems 'drowned' by victory For many fans, however, the team got its proper roses with Saturday's trophy, which also served as a temporary relief from the country's many crises, from jihadist insurgency to spiralling inflation. Muhammad Awwal, a taxi driver in Kano, told AFP over the weekend that the women helped Nigerians 'momentarily forget our common problems'. 'All our problems were drowned in the frenzy of celebration of the spectacular win,' he said. Despite the challenges, the team has made an appearance in every women's World Cup since the tournament debuted in 1991. 'Nigeria is the best country, with the best women's national football team,' said Paul Edeh, chairman of the Benue State Football Association, who was at the airport to greet the team Monday. 'What these girls have been able to achieve... the kind of trophies they've brought to us, we've not seen that with the male team,' he told AFP. While watch parties erupted in cheers across the country Saturday evening, the overall reaction in the country of some 220 million was relatively muted. Most of the crowd greeting the players as they touched down were airport workers, government officials and journalists. Though the government promised 'the streets of Abuja' would 'be agog' during a citywide parade, ultimately plans were pared back. — AFP
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Kuwait Times
Destructive Dwarshuis gives Australia 5-0 sweep of WI T20s
Destructive Dwarshuis gives Australia 5-0 sweep of WI T20s 'Against a quality team you can't get away with that' BASSETERRE: Ben Dwarshuis removed both openers and took the crucial wicket of top-scorer Shimron Hetmyer as Australia beat the West Indies on Monday in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis, to sweep the T20 series 5-0. Chasing a modest 171 to win the fifth T20 international, Australia recovered from 25-3 and 60-4 to score 173-7 with three overs to spare. Cameron Green anchored the middle-order recovery with 32, big-hitting Tim David raced to 30 off 12 balls with four sixes and a four, and Mitchell Owen scored 37. When Green departed, Australia were 141-6, still needing 30, and the West Indies sniffed a consolation win. But Aaron Hardie kept his composure to see Australia home by three wickets with an unbeaten 28. 'I didn't expect 5-0 at the start of the series. But we played some great cricket,' said Australia captain Mitchell Marsh. West Indies captain Shai Hope pinpointed the reason for his team's failure to win a match. 'We never put together a proper batting display. We either started well or finished poorly or the other way round,' said Hope. 'Against a quality team you can't get away with that.' The West Indies were in trouble early, having been asked to bat when Marsh won the toss. Dwarshuis removed Brandon King for 11 and Hope for nine to reduce the hosts to 22-2 in the fourth over. That became 64-4 until Hetmyer led a fightback, hitting three fours and three sixes on his way to a half-century. It looked like the left-hander might take the West Indies to a challenging total, but Dwarshuis returned to induce a miscue to Sean Abbott at long-off from a slower bouncer. Hetmyer departed for 52 from 31 balls to leave West Indies 155-7 in the 17th over. 'It was a little bit of a slower wicket so we tried to hit the wicket hard and use the slower balls as well,' said Dwarshuis, who was named player of the match. Australia also won the three Tests which preceded the T20 series to sweep all eight matches on the tour. — AFP
