Women teams are hope of Nigerian football, says Stella Mbachu

The ex-international has urged the country’s football governing body to give the various national teams adequate preparations ahead their competitions this year

Stella Mbachu has said that the women national teams are country’s only hope in international football this year, and has urged the Nigeria Football Federation to give them adequate preparations.The Flamingoes will represent Nigeria at the fifth edition of the Fifa U17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan, while the Falconets will be participating in the eight edition of the Fifa U20 Women’s World Cup, with the Super Falcons hoping to defend their Africa Women Cup of Nations title in Cameroon.“The NFF needs to realise that the women’s teams are the remaining hope for football in the country this year,” Mbachu told Punch“They have all qualified for their competitions unlike their male counterparts, who failed to live up to expectations.“If any of the men’s teams were to be preparing for the World Cup, we know how their camping would have been like.“I know that there is no money in the country but we cannot use that as an excuse for the teams because the same federation will crucify the coaches if these teams fail to do well in their competitions.”She added:  “The Flamingoes didn’t prepare well for the U-17 World Cup and the same should not be done to the other two teams.“They need better preparations to enable them to do well. The Falcons are seeking to win the Nations Cup for another record time and good preparations will help them to achieve that.“The Falconets too want to win the U-20 World Cup after finishing second twice but it will come with good preparations. “The discrimination between the men’s and women’s teams should stop to enable the country get the best out of these teams.”