Former Super Falcons and Wolfsburg striker, Ugochi Desire Oparanozie, has revealed her fear for the future of female football in Nigeria, Soccernet.ng reports.
A true veteran of the game, the striker called time on her football career last year after the Super Falcons of Nigeria were eliminated from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand by the Three Lionesses of England.
Speaking at the 2024 Ladies in Sports Conference, the 2018 WAFCON winner revealed how Nigeria were able to dominate the African football space for a long while, and how other teams have caught up with them.
“I think we’re lucky to have ruled African football over time. The player’s drive and passion played a huge factor, but now that other teams have caught up with us, I think it’s because we didn’t do as much as we ought to administratively,” the 30-year-old said at the 2024 LIS Conference.
Additionally, the one-time UWCL Champions League winner revealed the administrative problems of women’s football and gave some insight into how it can be better.
“Our grassroots football is not encouraging, and we don’t have enough data. We also don’t have local leagues for our young players, which is something that the South Africans and North Africans have done to invest in their female football. We’re short-sighted, and not thinking long term. If we were, we’d build for the future, but we’re not doing that. We need to do more to grow our football. Our skills are not enough anymore. From facilities to welfare, we need to get it right.”
Across a Super Falcon career that spanned thirteen years, Oparanozie never played in the Olympics. After her retirement, the Nigerian team returned to the Olympics.
N.B: We want to know your thoughts. Is Desire Oparanozie right? Let us know in the comments.
