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Following the wrap up of CAF Women’s Champions League in Morocco, Nkechi Obi, the head of the Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL), has pointed out the urgent need for clubs to raise their standards in governance, administration, and management to ensure the future growth of women’s football in the country.
Her request come in the wake of a licensing scandal involving Coach Moses Aduku of Edo Queens, whose lack of the required CAF C License meant he could not sit on the bench during the CAF Women’s Champions League.
Speaking out on the incident, Obi made it clear that such lapses are unacceptable.
“It’s not strange about what happened, now we’ve just got to build on it,” she said, pointing out the critical role proper management plays in the success of the league.
“We’ve got to ensure, in terms of corporate governance, administration and management, our clubs step up to the plate.”
Obi was particularly firm about the importance of licensing, calling out the lack of qualifications as “nonsense.”
“It’s not the happiest to hear that the Edo Queen coach have a CAF C License,” she added, referring to the coach’s failure to meet the necessary requirements.
She also delivered a strong warning to other clubs and coaches, saying: “No coach is going to coach any of our premiership teams if they don’t have a CAF C License.”
The incident with Edo Queens, Obi explained, had serious consequences. “It prevented them from doing proper game management, which is why they lost the cup.”
The NWFL head calls to action for clubs to step up their game and ensure that all staff involved in the management and coaching of teams are fully qualified and equipped to deliver on the highest level.
