The former Super Falcons star opens up on the
team’s ordeal while on national duty at the
African Women’s Championship in 2004
Former Nigeria women star, Vera Okolo has spilt
the beans about the dismal treatment handed
out to the Super Falcons at the 2004 African
Women’s Championship in South Africa.
The former Delta Queens player whose lone
strike secured an Olympic ticket for the Super
Falcons at the expense of Bayana Bayana spoke
about her displeasure at the welfare of the
players while on duty for their country.
“I cannot imagine a team representing a country
as popular and blessed as Nigeria, to go for a
tournament like that and be treated shabbily. If I
open up on the terrible things that happened in
South Africa, you will pity the players and heap
praises on us,” Okolo told the Vanguard .
“We played that tournament with two pairs of
white jerseys and one pair of green jerseys.
Those were what we played with for over two
weeks.
In fact, I played two matches with groin injury, all
in the name of wanting to win for Nigeria.”
The former player who is now attending the
Nigeria Institute of Sports also detailed how the
ladies were owed their due pay.
“Normally, when you go for such tournaments, as
long as you win, you get your match bonus after
a game.
But it was a different ball game in South Africa.
After winning our first match, we got to the
hotel, expecting our bonus. It started from the
kits.
After giving us three jerseys, we asked why, they
said they were bringing kits from Nigeria, that we
should make do with what we have. We said, no
problem as we were focused on retaining the
cup.
“It was strange but we told them that it was not
really the jersey that plays the game but the
players. On match days we avoided exchanging
jerseys. It became a crime to do so.
“We told them that we were not going back to
Nigeria without the cup. And when the bonuses
were not being paid after wining our matches,
they became deeply worried and we rose to tell
them not to allow that to weigh them down.”
The former African Women Footballer of the Year
nominee lamented how the Nigerian Football
Federation abandoned the team in terms of
match bonuses and feeding. She explicated on
how the team overcame these challenges with
help of Nigerians in South Africa.
“Even in Algiers 2007, it happened. Before most
of our matches, we drank garri. But we felt good
even with it. After the tournament in South
Africa, Kikelomo Ajayi who was our captain was
mandated by us to go and meet the officials to
pay us the bonuses but we were shocked when
she returned to tell us that they said we should
go back to Nigeria to collect the money.
“That was when we said no, that if we got to
Nigeria, they would not pay. Experiences have
shown that our officials don’t stand by their
words, so we refused to go back home until the
money was paid.
“Even when the embassy officials said that we
were on our own and they would only provide for
our breakfast, we were not moved. It was at that
time that Nigerians in South Africa knew of our
plight and said that as long as they were alive
that we would not lack anything good in South
Africa.
“They were bringing us food; in fact, we had so
much that we were even giving out to visitors
and friends. We had more than we had during the
tournament. They said we should have told them
all this while but we were not supposed to wash
our dirty linens outside. But it just got to that
extent that we could not hide it any more.
“There was a time that the former Governor of
Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili had to intervene. He
called (Peterside) Idah, when he heard of our
travails, to feed the players and send the bill to
him.
“It was like that until the money was now given
to us and immediately, they said we should pack
to go to Nigeria.
“Then President, Olusegun Obasanjo gave us
N1m each, after hearing what happened.”
She spoke about the present Super Falcons,
stating her disappointment with the team’s
inability to secure an Olympic ticket for Rio 2016
and outlined the failure of the Falcons to
progress to the knockout stage at the FIFA
Women’s World Cup as lack of inexperience in
the side.
“It baffles me a lot. Before I joined the team, we
were a winning team and we won during my
time. I thank God for Coach Ismaila Mabo for
giving me the opportunity to play for Nigeria.
“Even when I was injured, he told the doctor to
work on me and I was injected and played the
final match of Algiers 2007, where I scored the
winning goal with that same leg that was hurting.
“I don’t know who to blame for what is going on
now. I saw good players at the World Cup in
Canada. I was disappointed that a coach will
play 90 minutes without ubstitutions.
“He may have his reasons but I don’t think there
are any reasons because he had 22 players to
use but he was okay to play only 11. Why were
the rest on the bench? He should have
introduced new players.
Okolo, who grabbed the winner for Nigeria at the
All African Games final in Algiers 2007, just
finished a one year advanced coaching
programme at the National Institute of Sports
with the ambition of coaching her former club,
Delta Queens.
source: http://m.goal.com/s/en-ng/news/12072/nigeria-women/2015/11/22/17572052/former-falcon-vera-okolo-opens-up-on-how-team-was-abandoned

I don't think Garri is a bad food or is it?