Nigeria defender, Onome Ebi has explained her reasons for joining Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) Premiership side, Naija Ratels FC for the upcoming 2023/24 season.
Following her exit from Spanish Liga F side, Levante Las Planas last November, the 40-year-old veteran defender returned to the Nigerian league after 15 years she left the domestic sense in 2008.
She made history by becoming the first female African football player to compete in six different FIFA Women’s World Cup competitions.
On Saturday, October 14, 2023, the former FK Minsk player gave details of her decision to return home, via her official social media page.
“My joining Naija Ratels is beyond playing football,” she posted on her Instagram.
“It’s about inspiring young upcoming female players from the grassroots to thank and believe that if they dare like I did, they can make history like I did in a climate where a woman have to do twice as much work to achieve success.
“I strongly think my story won’t be complete if I don’t accomplish the goal of giving back to the Nigerian league, which nurtured me to stardom.
“When I was much younger, I never had the opportunity to see or train with great legends like Florence Omagbemi and others who were my idols back then.
“Today, I’m a legend, making it in life as a Footballer in one of the most difficult climates.
“Any girl could possibly hope to ply a trade like football. I believe my joining Naija Ratels FC, with very young sets of players, is the best way to share my story of success and inspire female youngsters across Nigeria and Africa.
“I believe if I retire now like a lot of critics have suggested, without first impacting the Nigeria Women’s Football ecosystem, I would have failed a nation that gave me an opportunity to become a legend and through which I made history.
“My goal is to continue to promote women’s football at all levels and inspire grassroots female players to aspire to be better than me and my colleagues.
“With Naija Ratels FC, I’ll continue to shine the light as a source and be a source of encouragement and beacon of hope to other players. MY STORY IS COMPLETE AND ACHIEVED.”
The Nigeria senior women’s national team are set to play their Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifiers against Ethiopia at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja.
Nigeria Football Federation reportedly confirmed Abuja as its home venue in its invitation to Super Falcons players for the return leg of the qualifiers, which will be held on Tuesday, October 31st.
Ethiopia will host the first leg of the second-round match on Wednesday, October 25, in Addis Ababa.
This will be Nigeria’s first match since they were eliminated in the Round of 16 at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia.
The Super Falcons participated in the Olympics in 2000, 2004, and 2008 but failed to qualify for the last edition in Tokyo.
To avoid repeating the feat, 22 players have been invited to camp in preparation for this month’s match.
Former Nigerian international, Mikel Obi has advised Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen to choose Chelsea ahead of Manchester United.
The 36-year-old midfielder spent 11 years at Chelsea and believes Osimhen would be a perfect fit for the Stamford Bridge club.
Speaking on “The Obi One Podcast,” the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations champion believes Osimhen has all the tools to succeed in the Premier League.
“I think he [Victor Osimhen] does slot seamlessly into the Premier League. He got the tools to be a success in England.
“When I look back at him a few years ago, I would say ‘no.’ But now watching him last season and watching him this season, I would say definitely.
“He would come into the Premier League and he would slot right in. He would get you goals, he would run behind defenders, he would stretch the team. And I think this is what probably when you look at a lot of the teams now in the Premier League, that’s what they’re looking for.
“A striker who can run. Who wants to run behind the defenders because then it helps your team. Doesn’t it? He stretches the defenders, the game becomes open and then you can create chances. And I think that’s what Victor would definitely give you.
“I hope you come to Chelsea. But from noises that I hear, he is a big United. But I hope he comes to Chelsea really.”
The FIFA World Cup will be coming in 2030 to Africa for the second time in the 100-year history of the World Cup, when Morocco, in partnership with Portugal and Spain, hosts the FIFA World Cup 2030.
The joint bid from the three countries was unanimously approved as the sole candidate by FIFA’s Council at a meeting on Wednesday but the opening three matches of the tournament will be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.
FIFA said the decision to award Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay the opening games was part of the tournament’s 100th anniversary.
The decision will see Morocco become only the second African country to ever stage a World Cup after South Africa in 2010, and news comes amid huge excitement around Moroccan football. Most especially, King Mohammed VI.
According him the Moroccan people were delighted at the news, which comes after the country’s groundbreaking run to the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar last year.
“His Majesty King Mohammed VI…has the great pleasure of announcing to the Moroccan people that the FIFA Council has unanimously selected the Morocco-Spain-Portugal bid as the sole candidate to organise the 2030 football World Cup,” a statement from the Royal Office said.
The Nigeria Women Football League held its Annual General Assembly (AGA) on Thursday 5th October 2023, at BON Hotel, Ikeja GRA, Lagos State after which the draws for the 2023/24 NWFL Premiership season were conducted.
In addition to the regular 14 teams, the Nkechi Obi-led administration has decided to expand the league to accommodate two more clubs at the top-flight level.
Lakeside Queens also known as Remo Stars Ladies and Dannaz Ladies were the two sides that got promoted through playoffs replacing the relegated Ibom Angels and Osun Babes.
However, after much deliberation, Sunshine Queens of Akure and Ekiti Queens have been given wildcards to join the Premiership.
Noteworthy to mention that the Akure landladies were relegated in the 2021/22 season alongside the Pelican Stars.
The 2015 Women’s Federation Cup winners were considered for promotion after finishing second in the championship playoffs held in Ogun State.
On the other hand, the Erelu babes who played in the NWFL Championship last season for the first time, were considered for promotion after finishing as Group A runners-up with 10 points out of the possible 15.
2023/24 NWFL Premiership Draws
The Premiership is expected to officially kick off on November 15, 2023, with four newcomers and 16 teams in total.
All sixteen teams are grouped into two groups A and B consisting of eight clubs each.
More than 7000 athletes and 500 schools are set to battle for over 1000 medals and 32 school/team titles in the first edition of the Schools’ Athletics Championships, now renamed MTN CHAMPS, which will take centre stage across four locations: Benin, Uyo, Ibadan and Abuja.
A press conference was held on Wednesday, 4th October, 2023, at Nordic Hotel in Lagos, to unveil the championship, which secured telecommunications giant MTN as its title sponsor, with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigeria School Sport Federation (NSSF) also partnering with the organisers of the historic initiative, Making of Champions (MoC), to ensure a hitch-free competition.
Some of the dignitaries that attended the momentous event include MTN Acting GM, Consumer Marketing – Idowu Adesokan; Chief Corporate Services Officer – Tobechukwu Okigbo; Chief Marketing Officer – Adia Sowho, Senior Manager, Brands, Sponsorship & Media – Friday Okuwe, Senior Manager, Consumer Marketing – Debo Agu, AFN President Chief Tonobok Okowa, AFN Technical Director. Mr Samuel Onikeku, MoC Chairman Engr. Olu Akani, NSSF Vice President Emmanuel Ebong, amongst others.
While giving her address, Sowho noted that MTN Is proud to be associated with the vision of MTN CHAMPS as it really sits at the heart of what the brand stands for.
“MTN is committed to Nigeria’s young people, and what we’re trying to do is power the dreams of these young people and provide them with the platform and technology that they need to take on the world,” she told media.
“MTN CHAMPS now joins the group of initiatives we have, and we hope to provide our young athletes with the platform to shine as they learn life’s valuable skills: we hope that this initiative contributes to their overall well being and success in life.
“The 10 best athletes discovered from CHAMPS will join the MoC Academy and will have the benefit of a structured training schedule, which teaches them the importance of discipline, time management and valuable skills that they will be able to bring in sports and in life.
“Also, MTN is committed to developmental sports not just for the accomplishment of individual goals, but for national aspirations as well, the discipline, the rigour and the passion is profitable for nation building which our beloved Nigeria needs,” she concluded.
Adia Sowho – MTN Chief Marketing Officer
AFN President Okowa harped on the need to produce a pool of young athletes who will be positioned to take over from their older counterparts, a gap MTN CHAMPS is poised to bridge.
“I am the main beneficiary of what is happening here today. When the older ones are fading out, what happens if you do not have the younger ones coming up?
“So, grassroots sports development is the key to success. At the National Youth Games (NYG), the age bracket is between 12 to 15, but for those within ages 15 to 20, there are no proper competitions, and MoC have just rescued us from that challenge through the MTN CHAMPS.
“I want to say thank you to MTN for the sponsorship, and thank you to MoC. With these competitions, these athletes will look forward to these competitions and will train towards them, because sometimes we lose the athletes between 15 and 18 because no good competitions to keep them going. We at the AFN will give you every support you need.”
On his part, Akani highlighted the immediate and imminent rewards of staging MTN CHAMPS and appreciated the efforts of all the bodies backing the initiative.
“I am pleased that we now have MTN identifying with our efforts to take Track & Field to lofty heights in Nigeria. This is indeed a monumental turning point in our country’s history in school sports and in Athletics.
“I have the conviction that MTN CHAMPS will unearth and foster athletics talents across the country and is poised to becoming the primary platform for identifying and nurturing promising athletes who can represent Nigeria in future international competitions.
“Indeed, MTN CHAMPS is a cumulation of years of the sacrifice and investment that has been made in the last decade by MoC to bring Nigerian athletics to where it needs to be, and now together with MTN, we can collectively uphold the vision and scale it to the highest standard imaginable that will ensure a resurgence of Nigeria’s bold footprint in global athletics.”
While unveiling the format for MTN CHAMPS, MoC’s Country Manager Deji Ogeyingbo revealed that the competition would be spread across three age brackets: the Cadets (U-14), Youth (U-17) and Juniors (U-20), with 32 team titles to be won across the four locations, eight in each as MTN CHAMPS will run a team-based competition with team titles and trophies awarded to the best Boys’ & Girls’ Schools/Teams in each age category.
Also, the Roster Athletics Competition Management App, which MoC is bringing to Nigeria for the first time, will be used to organize all aspects of the Championships, from online registration to publishing live all results and team scoring.
The inaugural edition of the Bet9ja Women Championship Mushin Development wrapped up on Saturday, 23rd September 2023, at the Saint Judes Primary School, Mushin.
FC Robo Queens emerged as the champion after defeating Oracle Queens in the Mushin Derby 1-0 in the final all thanks to Opeyemi Ajakaye’s solo run that ended up in the back of the net in the 56th minutes.
The Mushin-based team is the only team among the eight participating teams that plays in the Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) Premiership.
However, Oracle Queens put in a great effort to humble the Premiership side taking motivation from their 2-2 draw played when they met in group stage.
Meanwhile, in the third-place match, Unification Queens fought hard to win the Bronze medal after a 1-1 draw with FC Phoenix Queens before winning it on penalties.
Team captain Ifeoluwa Oluwafemi put Unification ahead from the penalty spot in the 43rd minute but Ajidagba Mariam equalized just four minutes later to force a shootout.
The goalkeeper stole the show as she saved two penalties to ensure her team won 4-2 and carted away the third-place prize money.
The winner went home with 150,000 Naira while the runners-up got 100,000 Naira, and the third-place winner got 50,000.
Below is the list of award winners:
Golden boot: Favour Nkwocha of Oracle Queens who scored 5 goals.
MVP: Ijamilusi Folashade who scored 4 goals and assisted thrice.
Revelation of the Tournament: Shotunde Sofiat of Unification Queens.
FC Robo Queens has joined the inaugural project of the Mushin Development program where eight teams will participate for the community football glory.
The Mushin-based team is the only team among the participating teams that plays in the Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) Premiership.
The women’s football championship sponsored by Bet9ja Foundation is scheduled to take place from 15th – 24th September 2023.
Saint Judes Primary School, Mushin, will host the competition with draws set to take place on Monday 11th September.
The eight participating teams will be split into two groups (A and B) respectively where the top 2 teams from each group will advance to the semifinals.
The competition promised to be held annually with the hope of increasing the number of participating teams.
Winners will be going home with 150,000 Naira while runners-up will go home with 100,000 Naira, and the third-place winner gets 50,000.
As the reigning Olympic champions, Canada comes into action against the most successful African team that has never missed any of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, we take a look at some of the players to watch out for from both sides.
Despite being the lowest-ranked team in Group B, the Super Falcons will be a strong first test for Canada.
Each one of these teams has the potential to get out of the group, and has star players capable of unlocking their opponents and dominating matches.
These sides have only met five times in their history, with two of those meetings coming in April 2022 during Canada’s Olympic gold medal celebration tour but they will both be looking to get off to a good start as they look to advance out of the group stage.
Although, Oshoala is the standout name, but this Nigerian team is full of quality.
Chiamaka Nnadozie of Paris FC who has been tipped as a rising star, is anticipated to start in goal for Nigeria, and she may be protected by debutant Oluwatosin Demehin and Onome Ebi central defense tandem.
American dual-national Ifeoma Onumonu who is a longtime NWSL forward currently playing for NJ/NY Gotham FC, and Uchenna Kanu of Racing Louisville FC are also in the squad to take charge of the attack.
In midfield, Christy Ucheibe is a name that will be familiar to Cloé Lacasse, with the duo playing together at Benfica the last few seasons.
The Super Falcons’ stars of Barcelona’s Asisat Oshoala and English-born defensive rock Ashleigh Plumptre will present tough challenges for the opponent.
Oshoala is a deadly threat on the ball and has been named the African Women’s Footballer of the Year five times.
The 28-year-old Ballon d’Or nominee will hope to bring her club form into the World Cup after scoring 27 goals in all competitions for Barcelona last season.
However, she must keep the likes of Kadeisha Buchanan on her toes all match. The Chelsea defender thrives in marking goal-scoring strikers, and the two have played against each other in the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) on multiple occasions.
Kadiesha Buchanan and Vanessa Gilles are anticipated to play together in the middle, with Ashley Lawrence and Allysha Chapman serving as the two fullbacks.
In attack, Jordyn Huitema who has been in the best form of her life so far in 2023, scoring four goals across seven recent matches for OL Reign in the NWSL and hitting six in total, will take control.
With 190 goals, Christine Sinclair holds the record for most goals scored in men’s or women’s international football history and the seasoned striker will be looking to increase her total against Nigeria.
Meanwhile, in northern Europe, World Cup debutant Evelyne Viens has proven to be vital for Kristianstads DFF in Sweden’s Damallsvenskan, racking up 17 goal involvements in 17 league games.
If they start, Quinn will become the first non-binary athlete at a World Cup, while GOAT Christine Sinclair and opposing center-back Onome Ebi both 40 years old, enter their sixth and surely final World Cup.
Ebi who has made over 100 appearances since her debut in 2003 will be tasked with stopping Canada’s captain Christine Sinclair and whoever else Bev Priestman opts to use in attack.
The Nigeria women’s national team starts their quest for glory in the early hour on Friday against Olympic champions Canada, at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
With Group B considered this year’s Group of Death, Canada may take confidence from the fact that they have won their last two World Cup openers by a 1-0 scoreline.
On the international scene, both teams have demonstrated their skill and expertise, and this encounter is expected to be no different with both sides sensing an opportunity to make a winning start to their respective campaigns.
However, Canada’s last defeat to any of the three nations in Group B was to Nigeria in 2011, a 1-0 loss in the final group stage fixture which sealed the Canucks exit at the World Cup, thanks to Perpetua Nkwocha’s lone strike.
Nigeria and Canada have met five times before, and two of those meetings have come in the Women’s World Cup with the Super Falcons unbeaten in those two World Cup meetings, but they came rather a long time ago – a 3-3 draw in 1995 and the aforementioned 1-0 win in 2011.
Canada have beaten Nigeria twice in friendlies in recent years, before the sides played out a 2-2 draw in their most recent meeting in April 2022, during Canada’s Olympic celebration tour.
The hosts won 2-0 in the first match at B.C. Place in Vancouver but the rematch at Starlight Stadium in Victoria saw Nigeria twice took the lead, but were pegged back both times.
While Canada have participated in every World Cup final since missing the 1991 event, their best outing was a fourth-placed finish in 2003.
On the other hand, Super Falcons have made an appearance at every world cup, but have only progressed past the group stages twice when they reached the quarterfinals in 1999 and Round of 16 in 2019.
However, the present Canada squad has midfield depth, forward diversity, and backline intelligence, all of which can beat Nigeria if Priestman’s side can display this range of talents.
Meanwhile, many of the members of their squad who won gold in Tokyo in 2020 are still around, so they have plenty of experience in their ranks.
Sitting in 40th place in the FIFA World Rankings, the Super Falcons are the lowest-ranked side in a group that features co-hosts Australia (10th), Olympic champions Canada (7th), and debutants the Republic of Ireland (20th).
Since the turn of the century, they have failed to score in 12 of their 16 matches at the Women’s World Cup and have won only two of those games. However, perhaps crucially, one of those wins was a 1–0 over Canada back in 2011, while the other was at the most recent tournament – a 2-0 win over South Korea in 2019.
However, with victories over Costa Rica, Haiti, and New Zealand in their last three games, Randy Waldrum’s team has garnered crucial confidence.
The Super Falcons also recorded a massive 8-1 victory against the Queensland Lions FC in a warm-up match.
Considering Canada are Nigeria’s first World Cup opponent this year, we can anticipate a tactical duel that will highlight the best of women’s soccer as football enthusiasts.
Canada secured their place in these World Cup finals hosted by Australia and New Zealand by virtue of finishing runners-up in the 2022 CONCACAF Women’s Championship but results in recent times may just be asking a few questions around Canada’s credentials to join Australia into the knockout rounds.
Four defeats in their last five matches overall have produced losses against Brazil, USA, Japan and France but they did manage to at least avenge the defeat to Brazil as they swiftly made amends by beating them 2-0 in the SheBelieves Cup in Nashville.
Ultimately, Nigeria and Canada are very similar in terms of physicality and capitalizing in transitional moments, and the story may well come down to who can do it better across the 90 minutes under the pressure of a World Cup group opener.
If they start, Quinn will become the first non-binary athlete at a World Cup, while GOAT Christine Sinclair and opposing centre-back Onome Ebi both 40 years old, enter their sixth and surely final World Cup.
MOLATsportgist 