Friday Ekpo, a former Nigerian international, has shared his thoughts on why the women’s national football team has had more success than the men’s.
Nigeria’s women have won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) a record ten times, making them the most decorated team in African women’s football.
Since the FIFA Women’s World Cup started in 1991, the Falcons have qualified for every tournament, maintaining an incredible record on the international front.
Their greatest performance occurred at the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup in the United States, where they advanced to the quarterfinals—a feat that no other African women’s team has ever achieved.
Additionally, the Falcons are the only African team to advance to the quarterfinals of the Olympic women’s football competition.
In comparison, the Super Eagles have made six appearances at the FIFA World Cup and won the Africa Cup of Nations three times.
In an interview with The PlayZone podcast, Ekpo stated that the disparity in accomplishments might be somewhat explained by men’s football competition.
“We are so many in the men’s game, we fight for every cup but can’t get all of them, which is why the Super Falcons are more successful than the Super Eagles,” Ekpo stated.
These days, African men’s football is becoming more and more popular. We will try to match their record because women’s football is different from men’s football. They shouldn’t be compared.
Ekpo also attributed the Falcons’ supremacy to Nigeria’s early success in women’s football.
“We didn’t have many countries that were playing or exposed like the Nigerian girls in African football back then,” he stated. Compared to most of them, we began earlier.
“We had five or six championships in our kitty by the time they started coming up.” These days, South Africans, Zambians, and even Moroccans are rising to prominence and playing like men. They put together their performances. I occasionally wonder if these people are girls.
