Onome Ebi missing as NFF names Falcons’ squad for Olympics qualifiers

Nigeria’s defender Onome Ebi (L) and teammate Osinachi Ohale celebrate teh Super Falcons’ victory after the end of the encounter against Australia at the FIFA Women’s World Cup . (Photo by Patrick Hamilton / AFP)

For the first time in about four decades, Super Falcons defender, Onome Ebi, will be missing in the team’s squad as Nigeria face Ethiopia in this month’s Paris 2024 Olympics qualifier.

Onome Ebi, 40 years, became the oldest female player in Africa to play at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. She had featured in several other tournaments including playing in six African Women’s Nations Cup.

At a point, some Nigerian fans called on her to retire, but Ebi was adamant, insisting that she would continue to play for the national as long as her body allowed her.

But what appears a ‘forced retirement’ may have come from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), as she was left out of the 19 players invited to the Super Falcons’ camp for this month’s Paris 2024 Olympics qualifier against Ethiopia.

The East African country, Ethiopia, will host the first leg of the second-round fixture in Addis Ababa on October 25, with the second leg in Nigeria on October 31.

Ethiopia eliminated Chad in the first round of the series as Nigeria drew a bye to the third round of the 2024 Women Africa Cup of Nations qualification series, after Sao Tome and Principe’s senior girls scratched the tie. The Falcons will be up against their counterparts from Cape Verde in the third round of that series at the end of November.

The refusal of the NFF to include Onome Ebi in the fixtures has been a major debate in many sports programmes on radio and television stations.

“I am sure some officials of the NFF are equally tired of