Nigeria Doesn’t Have What England Has – Ifeoma Onumonu

Ifeoma Onumonu of the Super Falcons has spoken out about Nigeria’s ‘terrible’ resources following their Women’s World Cup loss to England.

The Super Falcons fell on penalties to England in the last-16 match. The final score was 4-2.

Ifeoma Onumonu, who led the line for the African nation versus the Lionesses, emphasized the disparity in support enjoyed by both sides at home.

She told the Guardian: “I’ve seen what England has 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 a camp in Nigeria. There’s a lot that needs to be done.”

The 29-year-old Gotham FC player noted that adjusting to the competition in Australia and New Zealand was difficult.

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She said: “We do what we can because we love playing for our country but hopefully they make it easier for us to do our best Back home the pitches aren’t great. The grass is rocky, bumps everywhere. The stadium we play in for qualifying, you’d be surprised.”

She also said that the under-20s were ‘sleeping in airports for 24 hours’ after being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the U20 World Cup last year.

“That’s not acceptable. What we have to fight for is bigger than us,” she said.

The NFF has been widely chastised for failing to pay players, providing inadequate facilities, cancelling a pre-tournament camp, and interfering in selection and staff appointments.

FIFPRO, the worldwide players’ organization, issued a statement on behalf of the Nigeria Women’s National team earlier this week, affirming that they will aid the players in their ongoing dispute.

“Following the Nigeria women’s national team’s elimination from the FIFA Women’s World Cup, FIFPRO can confirm it is assisting players in a disagreement with the Nigeria Football Federation concerning bonus payments, camp allowances, and expenses, some of which date back to 2021.

“During the World Cup, the players expressed the desire to remain focused on their performance without making public statements or facing other distractions. However, the Super Falcons believe that it is now time for the Nigeria Football Federation to honour their commitments and pay the outstanding amounts.

“The team is extremely frustrated that they have had to pursue the Nigeria Football Federation for these payments before and during the tournament and may have to continue doing so afterwards. It is regrettable that players needed to challenge their own federation at such an important time in their careers.

“FIFPRO will continue to work with the players to ensure their contractual rights are honoured and the outstanding payments are settled.”