My dad's very first contribution to the development of female football in Nigeria.
naptu2: Old Man asked Westerhof to take a look at the female national team. They had been invited to the first ever female World Cup, China '91 and Old Man didn't want them to be disgraced. Westerhof took a look at them and said that what they really needed was a fitness trainer. He said that they were in really bad condition and they needed someone that would improve their physical conditioning. So he brought a fitness trainer called Johannes Bonfrere. The first test was a two-legged friendly series against the Dutch National Team. The Falcons were thrashed 5-0 at the National Stadium in Lagos. A week later, they lost 1-0 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu. There had been some improvement.
Westerhof asked the NFA to allow Bonfrere to join the coaching staff of the Super Eagles, but the NFA rejected his request because it did not have enough money to pay Bonfrere. Westerhof (backed by Chief's financial muscle) offered to pay Bonfrere's salary. The NFA accepted his offer. The Eagles complained after their first training session with Bonfrere. It was too demanding
naptu2: Women's football was not really taken seriously in the 1970s and '80s. What came to people's minds when you said "women's football" were comical matches that did not really comply with the rules of the game. They were novelty games that were played for comic relief, rather than real competitive matches. The situation was the same in most countries, but women's football was serious business in Scandinavia.
Then in 1989 FIFA decided to create a women's world cup (the first tournament was held in 1991) and Nigeria also decided to take women's football seriously.
So women's football was included in the 1989 National Sports Festival in Lagos. I went to watch most of the matches.
There was a huge gulf in class between the teams from Lagos, Bendel and Rivers and the other teams in the competition. Lagos, Bendel and Rivers were far better than all the other teams and none of the other teams could compete with them. The other teams looked like jokers.
Spectators who didn't think that women's football could be as interesting as men's football felt justified when they saw most of the teams play, but were totally shocked when they saw Lagos, Bendel and Rivers. Their players were very fit, trim and athletic (unlike players from other states). They could run, dribble and shoot very well.
Word spread quickly and the arena was always full when these three teams were playing. They beat the other states by 4 or more goals margin. Why were these three states so much better than the others?
Well, I didn't find out until the first women's national team, league and FA cup were organised in the early 1990s. Basically, these three states already had good female football clubs and the state teams were made up of players from these clubs.
Lagos State was basically made up of Jegede Babes players, Bendel State was the same as Ufuoma Babes of Benin and Rivers State was represented by players from Larry's Angels. These three teams dominated nigerian female football in the early 1990s.
naptu2: There was once a time that female football was not taken seriously in Nigeria. It was seen as a novelty and so you had novelty football matches between men and women in which the women were allowed to break all the rules of the game. It was done more for comic relief than for its entertainment value as a competitive sport.
My introduction to proper female football came in 1989. Lagos State hosted the National Sports Festival and the female football event took place in a venue that was not far from my house. So I walked there every evening to watch the matches.
There were three states that stood out from the rest, Lagos, Bendel and Rivers. The other teams were totally terrible, their players were not fit and they looked like comedians, but Lagos, Bendel and Rivers had proper football teams. The crowd had never seen women play football so well and those three teams had huge support among them. The three teams beat other teams with huge margins like 5-0 and 10-0.
I later found out why those three states were so good. They were the three states that had proper women's football clubs. Lagos State was basically the Jegede Babes team (owned by Princess Bola Jegede), Rivers State was made up of Larry's Angels players and Bendel State was made up of players from Ufuoma Babes.
(Some of the players that I saw in 1989 later went on to become superstars with the Super Falcons, but they were totally unknown back in '89).
The owner of Larry's Angels was Chief Larry Eze.
The Rivers State Government bought over the team many years later and they became known as Rivers Angels.
Chief Larry Eze discovered a lot of stars for Nigeria, for example, he convinced a young secondary school girl named Perpetua Nkwocha to play for Larry's Angels and she later became a superstar.
naptu2: Here's the story of Super Falcons goalkeeping
It started with Anne Agumanu (Anne Agumanu-Chiejine) from 1991 till 2000. I remember when she kept while pregnant, I remember 2000 Nations Cup final when we beat South Africa in South Africa (the South African fans kept throwing rocks at her and they were rioting in the stands, so the referee had to end the match before time and award it to us). She was the undisputed number 1 for almost 10 years. Anne Agumanu-Chiejine is now the Super Falcons goalkeeper trainer.
Then came Precious Dede. She was our first choice goalkeeper from 2001 till 2014. She was our goalkeeper coach during the Thomas Dennerby era and she folllowed him to India and is now the goalkeeper coach of the Indian junior national side.
Then came Tochukwu Oluehi. She shared the number 1 spot with Alaba Jonathan, Ibubeleye Whyte and Christy Bulus from 2015 till 2019.
Then came Chiamaka Nnadozie. She took over the number 1 spot from Tochukwu Oluehi (who is now our second choice keeper) and has held it since then.
Chiamaka Nnadozie has been voted the player of the month of March in the French top division (D1 Arkema). She beat Grace Geyoro and Tabitha Chawinga to claim the title.
naptu2: Which reminds me, I am still searching for a video of the South Africans stoning a pregnant Anne Agumanu-Chiejine.
It was during medicals for the 1999 World Cup that she discovered that she was pregnant. I mean that it was the World Cup medical officials in the US that asked her, "Do you know that you are pregnant"?
She was also pregnant (and it was beginning to show) when she kept for Nigeria at the 2000 Nations Cup in South Africa.
Nigeria was leading South Africa in the final and the South African fans started a riot. They were throwing rocks at Anne. She went to complain to the referee, but the referee told her to get back inside her goal. She went back and they threw a big rock which hit her. She picked up the rock, went to the referee and said, "See! See"! (That's what it looked like when I read her lips).
The referee ended the match before full time and the game and the title were awarded to Nigeria.
South African police fired teargas and charged the crowd. One of the scariest scenes from that day was a clip of a little girl, she should be around 12, the fear on her face was incredible, she was running in the stands and trying to get away from the rioters and the police.
naptu2: what would really make me happy is if people would compile their lists, rather than simply criticising others' lists. Like I said, Nigeria is blessed with abundant talent, so I would like to see who would be removed from the list and who would be added.
Reminds me of 1994 when Victor Ikpeba claimed that Clemens Westerhof hated him, that's why he always started him on the bench. I wondered who he thought he could bench, Amunike or Yekini.
BALLOSKI: The " Super Falcon all time Best 11" should have been your title, not best team because Oshoala didn't play with Mercy Akide. Most didn't play as a team.
Again, where's Kikelomo Ajayi and Cynthia Uwak on your list?
I am not creating a Super Falcons all time best 11. That's not what this is. I created a team and asked if it's the best team (I do not believe that it is possible to designate a player as the all time best, because they played in different eras and under different circumstances.
For the players that you mentioned, go back and read the first two posts.
Dunamai86: Stella Mbachu Super Falcons greatest winger ever. She should be in first eleven. Also Florence Omagbemi is best leader the falcons team has ever had. Where is Anne Chiejina? I love the present super falcons but the last generation is much better than the one we are seeing.
ChristineC: a team that has Perpetua Nkwocha, Asisat Oshoala and Mercy Akide in their primes will skin any female opponent.
who is Anne Agumanu though? I only know Ann Chiejina.
Anne Chiejine is Anne Agumanu.
Her surname was Agumanu, she got married = Anne Agumanu-Chiejine.
Sports › Re: Is This The Best Super Falcons Team Ever? by naptu2(op): 10:28am On Apr 20, 2024
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