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The Guardian
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
As England's Lionesses roared, Nigeria's queens of Africa made football history
Hello and welcome to The Long Wave. On Sunday, depending on which hemisphere you live in, you are likely to have seen or heard about a squad of supremely talented women pulling off a remarkable comeback to bring home silverware to a proud country. Congrats to England's triumphant Lionesses, who retained the Euros trophy. But here, it's all about Nigeria's Super Falcons. I checked in with Eromo Egbejule, our west Africa correspondent, to talk about last weekend's electric Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) final, which Nigeria won for the 10th time. Like all great matches, the final had the burden of heavy expectation bearing down on it. The stakes were greater than just claiming the trophy: for Morocco, it was about winning on home turf, in front of families and thousands of supporters. The squad, which seemed on the brink of another global tournament watershed after the men's team reached the semi-final of the World Cup for the first time, were in pole position for most of the match. The Atlas Lionesses were winning 2-0 until the 64th minute before conceding three goals, the last one a devastating two minutes before the final whistle. Despite the sense that Morocco's moment had finally come, Nigeria's Super Falcons raised the trophy again. It was their 10th from a total of 14 tournaments – a dominance, which had been interrupted three years ago by South Africa, providing ample motivation this time out. So intense is the rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa that Eromo says the Super Falcons' victory over Banyana Banyana in the semi-final had 'felt like the final'. The reception in Nigeria was, of course, celebratory. People are 'definitely, definitely happy', Eromo says. 'The Falcons have always been popular because they are very very dominant.' But a new element of this tournament has widened their appeal: social media. 'A couple of players have been posting on Snapchat,' Eromo says, which has brought the team closer to a new generation of supporters. Of those players, Michelle Alozie, right back and also, remarkably, a cancer research technician, is such a prolific poster that she came under fire for her 'unserious' habit. After Nigeria won, she uploaded a story from the pitch with the caption 'now let me post in peace'. It was the first African tournament outing for Alozie and the MVP of the final, Esther Okoronkwo, both of whom have large social media followings. What makes the Super Falcons so super? Eromo ascribes Nigeria's success to two factors. The first is simply a head start – Nigerian women's football developed at an international level earlier than other African countries. And Nigeria, in general, was one of the early African movers. (I am of the generation that still remembers, with cinematic detail, the heartbreaking Italian goal that denied Nigeria a historic spot in the men's World Cup quarter-finals in 1994.) The other factor is one that Eromo describes as a mental edge. 'Nigerians thrive in chaos,' he suggests, half in jest and half with a sort of national pride, in reference to a playing style that bewilders and scatters the strategic plans of their opponents. The rest, he says, can be attributed to living in the diaspora: Nigerian players have acquired valuable experience while playing for teams in Europe and the US. Some of the Super Falcons form part, or have been part, of teams such as Paris FC, Barcelona and Houston Dash. Winners – but not without challenge Sign up to The Long Wave Nesrine Malik and Jason Okundaye deliver your weekly dose of Black life and culture from around the world after newsletter promotion Despite the emphatic win, Eromo insists it was not business as usual. 'During the first couple of games, Nigeria did all right – but then it was hard. You could tell that other teams were stepping up.' Indeed, Equatorial Guinea have won the trophy previously, as have South Africa, and then Morocco flew to the final, buoyed up by their home crowd. Now Nigeria's dominance is no longer a sure thing and other African countries are making big investments in their teams and in women's football in general. Eromo says Morocco, in particular, are developing quickly, thanks in part to a sports sector that pays players well at a local league level. And so it is among a trio of strong challengers to Nigeria. Where there is football, there is politics Eromo suggests the one factor curdling that 'definite, definite' happiness is how some in Nigeria are a bit hesitant about the country's president appropriating the win as good PR for his unpopular leadership. Bola Tinubu asked the Super Falcons to bring the trophy to Abuja so he could welcome them home – all of which seems 'natural to do', Eromo says. But it is seen as 'the president trying to whitewash his performance', which includes economic policies that have not trickled down. 'More people are hungrier than ever, and the security situation is still in chaos. There's a lot of state propaganda floating around. This is seen as another example of Tinubu trying to gain goodwill ahead of the next election.' This is a moment that should belong to the Super Falcons and, in a wider sense, African women's football. Every tournament introduces a new crop of talented players to the continent, and overshadows what are usually more dominant western competitions. I mention to Eromo that the Wafcon final took place within the same 24 hours as the Women's Euro competition. 'To be honest, I didn't know the Euros final was even on until I started hearing about another Michelle,' he says. Not Alozie but Michelle Agyemang, the England forward of Ghanaian descent who was named young player of the tournament. The big week of women's football was truly a global, diasporic affair. To receive the complete version of The Long Wave in your inbox every Wednesday, please subscribe here.
The Guardian
7 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
How Nigeria completed ‘Mission X' and won their 10th Wafcon crown
Eyebrows were raised when Justine Madugu was appointed as the new Nigeria coach in September last year, having had no head coach experience in international football before taking on the role. On Saturday the 'gamble' – if you call it that – paid off when the Super Falcons came from 2-0 down to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat to win the Women's Africa Cup of Nations. The team had not impressed during the group stage, leading to criticism back home that the team were disjointed and uninspiring. Despite this, two wins over Tunisia and Botswana and a draw against Algeria saw Nigeria top their group without conceding a single goal. Madugu acknowledged that his team 'was a work in progress', but remained confident that his team was on course to achieve what Nigerians call 'Mission X' – to win their 10th Wafcon title. Saturday was a testimony to his unbending faith in his team and his coaching methods. 'I have always believed that we take each game as it comes and play according to the opponent,' the 61-year-old said. 'Where we make errors, we will make the needed corrections to get the result we want.' Nigeria are way out in front when it comes to Wafcon titles – Equatorial Guinea (twice) and South Africa are the only other sides to win it. Back in 2016, the women's team had won seven Afcon crowns, level with Egypt's men's team. A 1-0 win over Cameroon's Indomitable Lionesses, in front of a hostile crowd at Yaoundé's Stade Omnisport, saw them edge ahead in the pantheon of African champions. 'That final against Cameroon, on their soil, was a very exciting moment for me, scoring that winning goal that led to the trophy,' says the former Nigeria captain, Desire Oparanozie, who worked as a TV co-commentator and match analyst at this year's tournament in Morocco. 'When you have to play against the home crowd [in a final] and you come out on top, at the end of it, it is always special. You are playing against the fans as well. 'There is no better way to describe how formidable the Super Falcons are. They have proven their worth over the years and they continue to shine,' Oparanozie adds. 'One thing that continues to motivate them is that they are hungry for success. They want to win, they have a strong mentality, and they want to keep on dominating African football. It's the driver for the performance put up each time they are in the final.' Maintaining Nigeria's perfect 10-out-of-10 record in Wafcon finals was an arduous task for Madugu as he was up against the former Spain coach, Jorge Vilda, who is now in charge of the Atlas Lionesses. When Morocco went 2-0 up inside 24 minutes through goals from their captain, Ghizlane Chebbak, and Sanaa Mssoudy, Madugu was wearing his emotions on his sleeve, screaming at Nigeria's players to hold on to the ball and create transitions that would put the hosts under pressure. It took the second-half introduction of PSG's Jennifer Echegini and Roma's Rinsola Babajide to give the Falcons the attacking verve to win the game. 'We knew we could do it [win the match],' Madugu told us. 'When we were two goals down, we kept encouraging the players not to lose their belief. If they didn't have mental resilience they would have given up. We did a lot of talking at half-time.' Esther Okoronkwo, arguably the outstanding player for Nigeria at the tournament, and voted the player of the final, said the Falcons had to dig deep into their courage reservoir, to pull themselves back from the brink. 'The first half goals were unfortunate,' she said. 'It happens in football. When we went to the dressing room, we gathered the fighting spirit, because it was all or nothing … the Moroccan team has chemistry, they were a tough team.' Saturday's dramatic final was a fitting end to a successful tournament on the field but as Desiree Ellis, coach of South Africa's Banyana-Banyana for 11 years, points out, there is still room for improvement when it comes to the organisation. 'I think there needs to be better spacing of games, so that teams can travel and players can recover in good time,' she said. 'The travel was a bit hard at this tournament and it is something that CAF needs to look at.' The good news is that the chance to make improvements will come quickly – the next Wafcon finals are being played next year, again in Morocco. If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email This is an extract from our free weekly email, Moving the Goalposts. To get the full edition, visit this page and follow the instructions. Moving the Goalposts is delivered to your inboxes every Tuesday and Thursday.
Kuwait Times
14 hours ago
- Sport
- 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
The Guardian
a day ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
How Nigeria completed ‘Mission X' and sealed 10th Wafcon crown
Eyebrows were raised when Justine Madugu was appointed as the new Nigeria coach in September last year, having had no head coach experience in international football before taking on the role. On Saturday the 'gamble' – if you call it that – paid off when the Super Falcons came from 2-0 down to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat to win the Women's Africa Cup of Nations. The team had not impressed during the group stage, leading to criticism back home that the team were disjointed and uninspiring. Despite this, two wins over Tunisia and Botswana and a draw against Algeria saw Nigeria top their group without conceding a single goal. Madugu acknowledged that his team 'was a work in progress', but remained confident that his team was on course to achieve what Nigerians call 'Mission X' – to win their 10th Wafcon title. Saturday was a testimony to his unbending faith in his team and his coaching methods. 'I have always believed that we take each game as it comes and play according to the opponent,' the 61-year-old said. 'Where we make errors, we will make the needed corrections to get the result we want.' Nigeria are way out in front when it comes to Wafcon titles – Equatorial Guinea (twice) and South Africa are the only other sides to win it. Back in 2016, the women's team had won seven Afcon crowns, level with Egypt's men's team. A 1-0 win over Cameroon's Indomitable Lionesses, in front of a hostile crowd at Yaoundé's Stade Omnisport, saw them edge ahead in the pantheon of African champions. 'That final against Cameroon, on their soil, was a very exciting moment for me, scoring that winning goal that led to the trophy,' says the former Nigeria captain, Desire Oparanozie, who worked as a TV co-commentator and match analyst at this year's tournament in Morocco. 'When you have to play against the home crowd [in a final] and you come out on top, at the end of it, it is always special. You are playing against the fans as well. 'There is no better way to describe how formidable the Super Falcons are. They have proven their worth over the years and they continue to shine,' Oparanozie adds. 'One thing that continues to motivate them is that they are hungry for success. They want to win, they have a strong mentality, and they want to keep on dominating African football. It's the driver for the performance put up each time they are in the final.' Maintaining Nigeria's perfect 10-out-of-10 record in Wafcon finals was an arduous task for Madugu as he was up against the former Spain coach, Jorge Vilda, who is now in charge of the Atlas Lionesses. When Morocco went 2-0 up inside 24 minutes through goals from their captain, Ghizlane Chebbak, and Sanaa Mssoudy, Madugu was wearing his emotions on his sleeve, screaming at Nigeria's players to hold on to the ball and create transitions that would put the hosts under pressure. It took the second-half introduction of PSG's Onyi Echeginiand Roma's Rinsola Babajide to give the Falcons the attacking verve to win the game. 'We knew we could do it [win the match],' Madugu told us. 'When we were two goals down, we kept encouraging the players not to lose their belief. If they didn't have mental resilience they would have given up. We did a lot of talking at half-time.' Esther Okoronkwo, arguably the outstanding player for Nigeria at the tournament, and voted the player of the final, said the Falcons had to dig deep into their courage reservoir, to pull themselves back from the brink. 'The first half goals were unfortunate,' she said. 'It happens in football. When we went to the dressing room, we gathered the fighting spirit, because it was all or nothing … the Moroccan team has chemistry, they were a tough team.' Saturday's dramatic final was a fitting end to a successful tournament on the field but as Desiree Ellis, coach of South Africa's Banyana-Banyana for 11 years, points out, there is still room for improvement when it comes to the organisation. 'I think there needs to be better spacing of games, so that teams can travel and players can recover in good time,' she said. 'The travel was a bit hard at this tournament and it is something that CAF needs to look at.' The good news is that the chance to make improvements will come quickly – the next Wafcon finals are being played next year, again in Morocco. I say it numerous times, she is an absolute nutter, but she loves her country, she loves playing for her country, putting on that shirt, and she was outstanding in this tournament, considering …' – Beth Mead on her teammate Lucy Bronze after the full-back revealed she had been playing the tournament with a fractured tibia. Stage is set: The draw for the 2026 Women's Asian Cup, staged in Australia next March, has been made this week. Twelve teams are divided into three groups of four each, with the hosts facing South Korea, Iran and the Philippines in Group A. India, runners-up in 1980 and 1983, have qualified for the first time since 2003; the Blue Tigresses face Japan, Vietnam and Taiwan in Group C. North Korea, China, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan have been drawn together in Group B. Penalty drama: Colombia reached the final of Copa América Femenina in the most dramatic way, beating Argentina 5-4 on penalties in the semi-final and securing their place at the 2028 Olympics in the process. Brazil face Uruguay in the second semi-final on Tuesday, with the final to be played on Saturday. Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzanne Wrack, Tom Garry and Sophie Downey to celebrate England's historic Euro 2025 triumph over Spain — and reflect on an unforgettable tournament in Switzerland. Listen here. The story of England's Euros triumph, as depicted by David Squires. Nigeria's Esther Okoronkwo, the player of the match in the Wafcon final, shows off her range of skills in training. 'They thought it was all over. Quite a few times, in fact.' Do read Jonathan Liew at the Euro 2025 final and the perfect unity of 'proper England'. Who was good and who was less good in the Euros final? Sophie Downey's player ratings have the answer. She's also dished out her tournament marks. Singing, dancing and a cavapoo called Reggie: Tom Garry explains how England celebrated their famous win. Aitana Bonmatí's sullen walk to collect the player of the tournament award showed there is no joy in personal accolades when your team loses but Spain will be back, writes Nick Ames. Chloe Kelly's early introduction helped change the game for Sarina Wiegman's side. Sophie Downey analyses the tactical shift. Things got a little weepy in Madrid after Spain lost but the growing interest in the women's national team is a victory in itself, as Sam Jones witnessed. England won on the pitch, but who were the victors in the TV studios? John Brewin kept his beady eye on the BBC and ITV coverage. Nick Ames had a natter with Uefa suit Nadine Kessler about the future of the Women's Euros. And the women's game is growing across Europe and the playing field is starting to level, according to Philipp Lahm.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nigeria's victorious women footballers promised $100,000 each
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu hailed the women's national football team for their victory at the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) at a grand celebratory reception where he promised them gifts and cash rewards. Hosting them at Aso Rock, the presidential residence, on Monday, Tinubu announced each player would get a $100,000 (£75,000) plus a three-bedroom apartment. The 24-woman squad cheered when they heard the news, but there have been criticism in the past that prizes promised by Nigerian governments have not materialised. Nigeria's Super Falcons - as the team is known - defeated hosts Morocco 3-2 on Saturday in a stunning second-half comeback, clinching their 10th Wafcon title. Tinubu said the victory was a "triumph of courage, determination and consistency" adding that at some point "didn't want to watch the match" because of the stress. "Today, you returned home as champions of Africa," he said. "We could not be prouder." On their arrival at the main airport in the capital, Abuja, the team had been welcomed by traditional dancers, drummers, journalists and government officials. They were then escorted to the presidential residence in a convoy. Tinubu conferred national honours, the Officer of the Order of the Niger, to all the players and staff, saying this was "on behalf of a grateful nation". Captain Rasheedat Ajibade said that her team's victory was for "every young girl in our villages, towns and cities who dares to dream". She also outlined her vision for the Super Falcons to become the best team in the world but said this can only happen with continued support from the football federation and government. The Super Falcons have won 10 of the 13 editions of Wafcon since it began in1998. The president described the latest win as a "milestone in the history of sport". While the players celebrated the extra gifts from the president, in the past, both the men's and women's national football teams in Nigeria have had repeated issues with the authorities over delayed payment of bonuses and salaries. The government has only just honoured its three-decade promise of new homes for the victorious men's team, the Super Eagles, which won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations. The Super Falcons have several times been involved in sit-in protests during major tournaments over pay issues, including after their 2023 Women's World Cup run. There has also been concerns over pay disparities, and in recent years, fans have called for them to be paid the same as the Supee Eagles. Ahead of their final match on Saturday, Tinubu reportedly approved players' match allowances and bonuses, including backdated payments, adding that this would the standard practice in the future. You may also be interested in: What we learned from Women's Africa Cup of Nations 2024 Wafcon winner will stay in my heart forever - Echegini Watch: The Wafcon star who is also a doctor Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts Africa Daily Focus on Africa
