Tremendous Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade has induced a stir after talking out about poor lodging offered to gamers on the 2024 Ladies’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
Ajibade posted a message on Instagram exhibiting her frustration, saying that she and a teammate have been positioned in a room “the dimensions of a kitchen.” She tagged the Confederation of African Soccer (CAF) and demanded higher situations.
“Two skilled ladies gamers on this kitchen-size room in a prestigious WAFCON,” Ajibade wrote. “@caf_online @cafwomenfootball you are able to do higher.”
This 12 months marks the second time in a row that Morocco is internet hosting the event. The nation has not too long ago hosted different CAF occasions, such because the CAF Awards, and had been praised for its efforts. Nonetheless, Ajibade’s criticism raises questions on how critically ladies’s soccer is being taken behind the scenes.
Nigeria’s More durable Problem in African Ladies’s Soccer
Nigeria has lengthy been the dominant pressure in African ladies’s soccer. However occasions are altering. On the final WAFCON, the Tremendous Falcons completed in fourth place, a giant drop from their ordinary high spot.
Different nations like South Africa (Banyana Banyana), who’re the present champions, Morocco, and Zambia are actually actual threats. These groups have invested closely in creating their ladies’s squads, they usually now compete on the similar degree as Nigeria.
Ajibade’s New Management Position
Because the group’s new captain, Ajibade has loads of accountability, not simply to play nicely, but in addition to guide the group by challenges like this one. Management now shouldn’t be solely about being common or proficient, but in addition about being dependable, constant, and in a position to communicate up for the group.
She has already proven she’s able to struggle for higher situations, however she will even be judged by how she performs on the pitch and the way nicely she helps her teammates when issues get robust.