Sports

We Begged For Money To Celebrate Christmas – Flamingos Players Lament

Published

3 years ago

January 10, 2023

Seventy-two days after beating Germany to finish third at the U-17 Women’s World Cup in India, players and officials of the Flamingos are yet to receive their allowances and match bonuses with some of the players telling The PUNCH they virtually went begging for money to celebrate the Yuletide.

It was learnt that while their camping allowances from February 6 to June 5, 2022, had been paid, the team’s bonuses for qualifying matches they played against Congo, Egypt and Ethiopia were yet to be paid.

The World Cup bonuses for the matches against Chile, New Zealand, U.S.A, and Germany had also not been paid to officials and players of the Flamingos.

One of the players, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being victimised, said she and her teammates begged for money to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

“The NFF is yet to pay us our match bonuses and some other benefits and these are what we need to survive,” the player told The PUNCH.

“Since we came back from India, we haven’t heard anything and we are already losing hope. Some of us are not as privileged as other kids and we had to beg for money to celebrate Christmas and New Year.”

Another Flamingos player added, “Christmas was hell for me because I was broke. This is because aside from the camp bonuses that were paid to us, we are yet to receive other bonuses and it is discouraging.

“Football is everything I know and it’s what I intend to use to take care of myself, but unfortunately we are still owed our match bonuses and other benefits from the qualifiers for the World Cup. I sent messages to relatives asking them to send me money to celebrate Christmas, but in reality, I should have been the one sending them money after playing at the World Cup.

“We learned that some individuals have redeemed their financial pledges to the team but we are yet to receive them from the NFF.

“President of the NFF, Ibrahim Gusau and Alhaji Balele both promised us $10,000 each for winning the third-place match, while the founder of Naija Ratels, Paul Edeh, also promised the team the sum of N3.1m. We hope the Presidency will help us because some of us are practically begging for money.”

The PUNCH also gathered that players of the Falconets, who crashed out from the the quarter-final stage of the 2022 U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica, were also yet to be paid.

One of the outstanding players in the squad told The PUNCH, “Since I returned from the World Cup in August I haven’t visited my home state because nobody will believe a World Cup player can’t even buy socks for her friends.

“We played eight qualifiers to qualify for the World Cup and we were given just N50,000 each for qualification. At the World Cup proper, we were paid just $500 as camp allowance, while the NFF pledged to pay us our bonuses. As I speak with you, we haven’t heard from them. I couldn’t send anything home to my family for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

“After we slept on bare floor at the Istanbul airport in Turkey, we were given just N40,000 each for transportation by road to our various states amid the insecurity in the country. They couldn’t even pay for our flights back home. And now they have refused to pay us our money.”

The General Secretary of the NFF, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, declined to comment on the matter, and directed our correspondent to the federation’s Communications Director, Ademola Olajire.

“They have not been paid but they will be paid,” Olajire said when contacted. “I don’t work in the accounts (department) but I know that they will be paid whatever they are owed.”
PUNCH

Sports

Edo Female Cricket League 2025 Takes Off Amid Applause From Sports Commission Boss

Published

2 days ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

The 2025 edition of the Edo State Female Cricket League bowled off at the weekend in Benin City, drawing commendation from the Executive Chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission, Hon. Amadin Desmond Enabulele.

In a statement released through his Media Officer, Mr. Edoko Wilson Edoko, Enabulele hailed the tournament as another major step in grassroots sports development, describing it as the true foundation of Edo’s growing sporting excellence.

He praised Governor Monday Okpebholo for sustaining a conducive environment for sports to thrive, noting that Edo has now become “a sporting hub in Nigeria, hosting viable tournaments that nurture young talents for national and international glory.”

The Sports Commission boss highlighted cricket’s steady rise in the state, recalling Edo’s strong performances in national competitions such as the Sports Festival and the National Youth Games, where state athletes bagged gold medals.

“We’re deliberately investing in sports beyond football. Cricket is one of those with huge potential, and we’re determined to keep catching them young,” Enabulele said.

The weekend fixtures lived up to expectations, producing some thrilling moments across two venues in Benin City. Adolor Amazons and Emotan Queens recorded early wins in the opening round of matches.

At the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Cricket, Iyoba Girls College, Ekpoma Supernova CC beat Idia Royals CC by two runs in a nail-biting finish. The Supernova team, who had scored 47 runs all out in 18 overs, fought back dramatically to bowl out their opponents for 45 after initially trailing.

Coach Emmanuel Eromosele, still thrilled by the result, said he had “almost given up,” but credited his players’ resilience and fighting spirit. Team captain Peculiar Agboya added, “We had a lot of young players out there today, but we believed in ourselves and it paid off.”

At the High-Performance Centre, Edo Boys High School, Emotan Queens CC crushed Adolor Amazons CC in a low-scoring affair, chasing down 20 runs in just three overs. Their coach, Osamudiamen Ikpomwen, described the result as “a good day for us—two games, two wins. But we know we can always do better.”

The league continues on Saturday, October 18, with Emotan Queens CC facing Ekpoma Supernova CC at Iyoba Girls College, while Adolor Amazons CC take on Idia Royals CC at Edo Boys High School. The top two teams will meet in the grand finale on Sunday, October 19.

Sports

WCQ: Haaland Scores Hat-trick As Norway Thrash Israel 5-0

Published

4 days ago

October 11, 2025

Editor

Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick to pass 50 international goals in record time as Norway cruised to a 5-0 thrashing of Israel on Saturday, edging closer to qualifying for a first World Cup since 1998.

Norway, who have not played at a major tournament since Euro 2000, now lead Group I with nine points more than second-placed Italy, who have two games in hand and play in Estonia later Saturday.

The Scandinavians will secure a place at next year’s finals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico with a win over the Estonians on Tuesday if Italy fails to defeat either Estonia or Israel in their next two matches.

Manchester City striker Haaland is the leading scorer in European qualifying with 12 goals so far.

He also became the fastest player in men’s international football to reach 50 goals for his country and now boasts 51 goals for Norway in just 46 games.

England captain Harry Kane held the previous record, bringing up his half-century in 71 appearances.

Ahead of kick-off, hundreds of people attended a pro-Palestinian demonstration, chanting “Free Palestine” to protest against Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza, AFP journalists reported.

The head of the Norwegian football association, Lise Klaveness, recently said she was pushing “for Israel to be sanctioned”.

In early action, Haaland surprised the Norwegian fans in the Ullevaal Stadium when his penalty was saved by Israeli goalkeeper Daniel Peretz.

The spot-kick was ordered to be retaken for encroachment inside the area and Haaland struck his second effort in the opposite direction, only for it to be parried away again by Peretz.

But Norway did forge ahead in the 18th minute through an Anan Khalaili own goal, before Haaland raced clear to score in a ninth successive international appearance.

The hosts grabbed their third just seconds after Israel kicked off again in the 28th minute, as Peretz kicked the ball off Idan Nachmias, who was under pressure from Haaland, and into the net for another own goal.

Nachmias also had to go off injured after colliding with the post.

Haaland added his second in the 63rd minute, powering home a header from Antonio Nusa’s cross, before nodding in to complete his hat-trick with 18 minutes left.

Elsewhere, Hungary beat Armenia 2-0 in Group F, meaning Portugal could qualify with back-to-back wins over the Republic of Ireland, who they were facing at home later Saturday, and then Hungary on Tuesday.

Sports

Just Like Football Clubs, Let’s Sign Foreign President To Fix Nigeria – Actor Okele [VIDEO]

Published

6 days ago

October 10, 2025

Editor

Popular Nigerian actor, Tunde Usman, professionally known as Okele, has proposed ‘signing’ of foreign Presidents to fix the country.

The actor made the suggestion while reacting to Nigeria’s current economic hardship.

Reacting to the increase in price of cooking gas across the nation, Okele in a now trending video shared on his Instagram page proposed a football method of removing a non performing coaches to address Nigeria’s challenges.

Speaking in Yoruba, the actor argued that adoption of the football method might solve constant disappointment with elected leaders.

“Greetings to all Nigerians home and abroad. May God help us soften this hardship. I just thought of something about gas, fuel and the way things are expensive in Nigeria.

“If you are a lover of football you would know that every club has a coach, assistant coach, and those that train the keepers. So, instead of campaigning for different political parties with some looting our money, why can’t Nigeria look around the world and sign any ex-president that has proven himself in another country to fix Nigeria.

“Even many football nations signed coaches from different countries. Maybe we should adopt the signing of the President method to end different political parties campaigns. Let’s come together and sign our President the same way we signed the coach and we can sack the non performing President and sign a new one.”