Nigeria Leagues
The Onome Ebi-Naija Ratels deal details: Find out more about salary and benefits
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
Nigerian defender, Onome Ebi has put pen to paper on a deal that saw her join Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Premiership side, Naija Ratels FC.
The Nigerian international was a free agent before joining the Abuja-based side after departing Spanish top-flight outfit, Levante Las Planas last season.
Ebi is expected to earn as many as One Million and Five Hundred Thousand (1.5m) per month as salary, excluding bonuses. She also recieved a plot of land at Life Camp in Abuja.
The six-time World Cup star was rumoured to have joined another NWFL side, Abia Angels last season but the move did not materilized before the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer.
With the likes of Rita Chikwelu and Tochukwu Oluehi heading to Saudi Arabia, one would have thought the defender would join the fray but she decided to give back to the league where she started her career.
She became the first women’s footballer of her age (40) to return to the Nigerian League after a 15-year long career in Europe.
One of the strategies of the NWFL is to see fans troop to the stadium ahead of next season and the return of Ebi to the league can serve as a springboard to attracting more spectators to the stadium.
It can also boost the brand image of the NWFL and attract more sponsors to the oldest women’s football league in Africa.
It can also attract retiring stars to the league after their illustrious career and sojourn overseas.
With fans worried about Ebi’s plight of not playing for the club now over, her supporters can now throng the field to watch her play in the top-flight Nigeria Women’s Football League when the 2023/2024 season kicks off on November 15.
