Ifeoma Onumonu laments harsh experiences in Nigeria’s Women’s World Cup camp

By Wale Mustapha

Nigeria striker, Ifeoma Onumomu has recounted the terrible treatment Super Falcons experienced in the team’s preparations for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The Super Falcons dominated larger parts of their second round clash against England before lost 4-2 on penalties after goaless affair in normal and extra times.

Nigeria had a brilliant run to the knockout stage having recorded a victory over tournament co-host Australia and two draws against Canada and Ireland.

Despite the elimination, Onumonu who play her club football with Gotham FC in the United States said she’s proud of the team’s efforts and resilience as she highlighted the gulf in class between two nations.

“I’ve seen what [resources] England have access to, in Nigeria we don’t have access to much.

“Our training fields aren’t great. Where we sleep isn’t great. Sometimes we share beds. It’s not good enough. In terms of recovery, we don’t have much of any of that. We don’t have access to a gym in camp in Nigeria.

“There’s a lot that needs to be done. Hopefully more people start to talk about it. Coming here it’s hard to adjust. We do what we can because we love playing for our country but hopefully they make it easier for us to do our best,” she said.

The Gotham striker said she was inspired by the performances of African representatives at the tournament which was a proof in rapid development in the women’s football but she has stressed the need for Nigerian women’s footballers to “fight for something bigger” in terms of how the team should be treated to inspire younger players.

“We’re on the rise and it’s growing. A lot of people don’t watch as much as they do Europe and so underestimate who we are, what we are capable of. No one believed in us and now a lot of people are,” she contnued.

“Other teams are catching up and growing, including us. There’s no longer going to be that one team that you are absolutely going to say they’re going to win. Every game will become a battle. Every game has become important.

“As women start to play more internationals and at clubs, more and more teams are going to catch up. There’s a shift. A lot more are coming.”