By Rasheed Adewuyi, New York
Former Super Falcons goalkeeper Judith Chime has expressed deep disappointment with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the Federal Government, and Nigerians at large over what she described as the systematic abandonment of retired players from the women’s national team.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Jersey Number 12 on Saturday, Chime said the pioneers of the Super Falcons have been forgotten despite the sacrifices they made to establish the women’s game in Nigeria. According to her, the older generation endured harsh conditions and neglect, while the current crop enjoys privileges that were never available to them.
“We have not been treated fairly,” Chime said. “We faced a lack of respect, and our voices have been ignored. No one is talking about what we endured to build the Falcons into what it is today. Those who are enjoying the women’s national team now are players born with silver spoons.”
The former Pelican Stars goalkeeper recalled the difficult conditions under which the early Super Falcons teams operated, lamenting the absence of basic welfare and support during their playing days.
“I wish I could see President Bola Ahmed Tinubu one-on-one to make him understand what we went through to build the Falcons,” she added. “You would think we were kidnapped because there was no toilet or water at our Adamasigba camp in Ibadan. We had to relieve ourselves in the bush.”
Chime maintained that there was nothing wrong with the Federal Government rewarding retired Super Falcons players for their contributions, especially given the rewards handed to the current squad following their WAFCON triumph in Morocco last year.
She questioned why players who won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and helped Nigeria qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Olympic Games in the 1990s and early 2000s have not received similar recognition.
“I see no reason why members of the Super Falcons who won WAFCON and qualified Nigeria for the World Cup and the Olympics should not receive at least a plot of land from the Federal Government, just like their male counterparts,” she said.
Chime also warned against selective celebration of football legends, insisting that the history of Nigerian football is incomplete without acknowledging the trailblazers of the women’s national team.
“While people celebrate legends like Stephen Keshi, Jay-Jay Okocha, and Taribo West,” she noted, “they forget that the Super Falcons may never see another Ifeanyi Chiejine or those brave players who risked their lives in service to the nation.”
On Nigeria’s chances of retaining the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title in Morocco this March, Chime admitted it would be a tough task, citing the circumstances surrounding the team’s previous triumph.
Nigeria have been drawn in Group C, alongside Egypt, Malawi, and Zambia, in the upcoming tournament.