Barcelona striker, Asisat Oshoala, has been stripped of her captaincy of the Super Falcons, according to a statement from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
The decision was reportedly necessitated by the former Arsenal Ladies forward’s performance at the Aisha Buhari Cup with the captaincy believed to be affecting her form on the pitch.
A senior official of the NFF revealed that the decision on Oshoala was not taken in bad faith but to help Oshoala rediscover her form with the Super Falcons.
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“We have no issue whatsoever with Asisat Oshoala, but thoughts of stripping her of the captain armbard came after Aisha Buhari Cup last September,” the senior official was quoted as saying.
“This is not for anything negative but for troubling concerns of seeing her struggle in national team colours. We and the coach Waldrum observed the captaincy is weighing her down and affecting her play. With or without it, we believe she is a true professional player and should not struggle to prove otherwise by delivering on the pitch.”
Oshoala was named Super Falcons captain in September 2019 by Chris Danjuma after Desire Oparanozie was stripped of her armband following a contention with the NFF.
Super Falcons veteran Onome Ebi is reported to be the new captain and she will be assisted by Francesca Ordega.
Ebi, 38, is the most experienced player in the team and is a veteran of five World Cups. She previously held the band in the past and captained the Super Falcons to their last AWCON success.
The Super Falcons captaincy has been a matter of contention for the past three years.
In 2019, at the FIFA Women’s World Cup where Oshoala was vice captain to Desire Oparanozie, the NFF owed the players some of their dues, leading to a protest by the players, led by the skipper at the time.
In September of that year, Chris Danjuma replaced Oparanozie after an order from above and appointed Oshoala. The former FC Robo forwards spent 30 months in the role but it also culminated in her worst period with the Super Falcons.