A member of the executive committee of the Nigeria Football Federation, Chris Green, has refuted allegations that some members of the football body sleep with players of the women’s national team, the Super Falcons, for them (players) to be part of the team.
In an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH, former Falcons player, Omo-Love Branch, accused federation officials of sleeping with Falcons players in exchange for places in the team.
Branch said NFF officials and not coaches, should be blamed for Falcons’ poor performances in recent times.
She alleged that the best players were not given the opportunity to play for the national team, saying federation members imposed their girlfriends on coaches.
The South Africa-based ex-defender cited an instance at the 2010 African Women’s Championship in South Africa, where she claimed that some players were indiscipline and rude to the coaches because they slept with top officials of the NFF.
Branch told SUNDAY PUNCH, “Coaching is not the problem. The problem is the top people at the NFF, the big guys. We have good players but people want to bring their girlfriends and goddaughters to the team. I heard some girls are even forced to sleep with officials just to be part of the team.
“I remember when they (Falcons) came here (South Africa) for the AWC in 2010. I saw the way some players were talking to their coaches. I asked them why they were talking to their coaches like that. I discovered that some of the girls were dating senior officials and that was why they could talk to their coaches like that. That is what is happening to women’s football in Nigeria.”
The ex-player turned coach added, “I’m far away but if they can allow us to manage the team, we will make it better. If I get the opportunity, I will give them my conditions, nobody will bring players for me. I will have an assistant who will take care of that.
“I will want everyone on the technical crew to be a woman. I won’t want a guy among us. (Paul) Hamilton, (Ismaila) Mabo were the best coaches we had, they didn’t date their players.”
But Green denied the allegations, saying he was not aware of officials sleeping with players for them to be invited to the women’s national team.
“I haven’t heard of any official wanting to sleep with a player before such a player is invited (to the Falcons). I haven’t seen it and I don’t think it exists,” he said. Punch
