Nigeria women league needs attention, says Ifeanyi Chiejine

goal.com

The ex-international feels the absence of a sustainable female league in the country has impacted negatively on the fortunes of the Super Falcons.

Ifeanyi Chiejine believes the falling standard of the country’s women league is a major reason behind the slow and steady fall of Nigeria women national team.

The Super Falcons placed fourth the 2015 All African Games in Brazzaville and crashed out of the Rio 2016 Olympics after a disappointing to Equatorial Guinea. It was the second time in a row the team would miss out on the event after bowing to Cameroon during London 2012 Olympic qualifying series.

Chiejine, who played in three different Fifa Women’s World Cup and two Olympic Games said the league organisers must find sponsors for the female league else the Super Falcons will continue to crawl and also lose great talents to other countries.

“The state of the Nigeria Women Premier League is already affecting our national teams,” Chiejine told Goal.

“The growth of female football in the country is dwindling.

“The league is not growing because there are no sponsors. They [the league organisers] should go out there and the private sector to help build female football in the country like it is done in Europe.

“What makes it sad is because Equatorial Guinea and others countries coming to pick our best legs, play against us and we find it very difficult to beat them.

“All I can say is plead with the Nigeria Football Federation and other corporate bodies to rescue female football in the country towards returning it to what it used to be in the past when we were invincible. In the 90’s, we had a strong female league that discovered players like me.

“Aside from this, we had a very solid nation team that was unbeatable for a very long period of time. I just hope we get back on track,”  she concluded.