Former Super Falcons forward Desire Oparanozie has hit out at the President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Ibrahim Musa Gusau for neglecting injured Super Falcons players, contrasting his attention to injured male players.
Gusau recently visited Super Eagles players, including vice-captain William Ekong, Moses Simon, and Zaidu Sanusi, who were recovering from injuries in their club sides.
In a photo shared on NFF social media pages, Gusau was seen posing with Troost-Ekong, Sanusi, and Simon
The former Delta Queens FC forward who recently announced her retirement from professional football, expressed disappointment that injured female players like Tosin Demehin and Ashleigh Plumptre were not given similar attention.
According to Oparanozie, Demehin and Plumptre, who are nursing injuries and deserve to be visited and encouraged by the NFF President.
“It would be even better if this gesture were extended to the women too. Demehin is currently injured and is in the same country as Simon, and Plumptre is also injured,” Oparanozie wrote on her social media page.
Since 2010, Oparanozie has been a consistent member of the Super Falcons, featuring in the 2011, 2015, and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cups
In April 2019, she was appointed Super Falcons captain by coach Thomas Dennerby, who commended her discipline and good character.
After the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Oparanozie advocated for equal pay in Nigerian football, highlighting the disparities in bonuses received by the women’s team compared to their male counterparts.
Additionally, Oparanozie has contributed to Nigeria’s success in the African Women’s Championship, participating in the tournaments of 2010, 2014, 2016, and 2018, all of which Nigeria won. She played pivotal roles in the finals of both the 2014 and 2016 championships, scoring crucial goals for her team.
