Super Falcons captain Onome Ebi says the team is in buoyant mood ahead of their second game against Australia at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Ebi and her teammates started their campaign with an impressive 0-0 draw against Olympic champions Canada at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on Friday.
Randy Waldrum’s side will be up against Australia at the Brisbane Stadium on Thursday.
The Matildas defeated debutants Republic of Ireland 1-0 in their opening fixture.
“We are in very high spirits, I can tell you,” Ebi, who is attending her sixth World Cup told thenff.com.
“We are already looking forward to our second match. The Aussies will not be easy, but we knew before arriving in Australia that no team at this tournament will be easy.”
Australia top Group B with three points, while
Canada and Nigeria have one point each.
Ireland occupy last position in the group with zero point.
By Adeboye Amosu
10 Comments
Whenever you say you’re not afraid of this or that, it usually means you are. Shut up and do the speaking on the pitch!
You’re right but this your username eh???
@Cultists, way to support the girls representing our nation….smh
Of course, the only people we know for sure who are not of nothing are those sitting on the fat behinds doing NOTHING!
I have just read this on sportinglife that FG has given NFF $1.7m for super falcons campaign in world cup and it aligns with the waste people here have been advocating is going on in glass house:
“The total amount ($1.7m) containing 47 items in which the monies would be spent on includes
payment of daily allowances for coaches, back room staff and players,
payment for the winning bonuses for officials and players from the preliminary games to the final.
Included in the letter to receive daily allowance and estacode are:
Incoming Minister of Sports, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, General Secretary of NFF,
Four NFF Board Members, NFF President, three management staff, three ministry aides, NFF officials, two State Football Association Chairmen and one state FA Secretary.
The intervention fund covers all the days (from Group Stage to the final) the competition will take place in New Zealand and Australia.
Aside the total amount which would be released by the FG, the NFF will still get $1.7m participation fee from FIFA”
Now, that’s $3.4m (at least if falcons only stop at group stage). Nearly 3.2 billion naira. So why are players still being owed after appearances!
Share this link please
@Sly, this payment is not new, for every competition Nigeria is participating either afcon or world cup from u17 to the seniors. Those crooks called nff always submit budget to the FG through the sports ministry and it covers from group stage to final. The worst thing is those ladies will not be paid one kobo unless they called those crooks out.
I still can’t believe this team didn’t play a single friendly match before their first official WC match. FIFA gave each qualified federation $1M for preparation, where did that money go? Yet they scrapped players’ bonuses and allowances just because FIFA is giving the players some money. The coach is owed for months. Players are owed for years. So tell me, what exactly is Gasua’s JD as NFF president? Honestly, if this new administration or the incoming minister fail to investigate this shame, I’ll be utterly disappointed and begin to view them as utterly corrupt too. We need to take a very decisive step to stop this rot. They must account for every kobo they collected from every source for this WC.
As long as this NFF are receiving money directly, the rot will not only continue, it will get bigger.
It has come to the point where with FIFA’s permission, a third party needs to be receiving money on behalf of the NFF.
If NFF needs money for anything, even if it is toilet paper for the office, they should submit a written request, and account for every kobo they are asking for. The written request provides an audit trail, which is very important. Any expense that is deemed unnecessary or extravagant will be expressly denied.
When it is time to pay coaches and players, or pay any expenses that are necessary for the running of football, the third party will just make the payment and send the NFF a memo advising them that payment has been made.
This third party arrangement should continue until we have people we can trust with money at the Glass House.
The third party will also render account for funds received every 3 months or 6 months, and this account should be public record. Preferably, it should be posted on the third party’s website for anyone who wants to review it.
By the time the crooks at the NFF see that there is no way to steal money anymore, they will leave the place, and real football people who are passionate about moving our football forward will find their way into office.
Additionally, the NFF must not be involved in player selection. They can scout players and tap up foreign born players to convince them to play for Nigeria. But when it’s time for selection, NFF must hands off completely, and leave that to the coach. The coach hired should be the best coach we can afford. No excuses!
The parameter for selection must be strictly MERIT. Who is the best in that position? We don’t care what tribe they come from, as long as they are in form, the coach must consider them for selection, and select the very best for the squad.
The days of quota system and NA MY PERSON have to come to an end. If we must compete with serious, ambitious football nations, these steps need to be taken post haste!
Fifa needs to take over the Nff like they did with CAF to sanitize it fir a minimum of 2 years…
Greetings Everyone… old and new