Publicity and Player Welfare Crucial to Women's Football Development in Nigeria - Kanu

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As concerns over the current state of women's football and its future in the country continues to mount, it is safe to say it is imperative for those involved on and off the pitch to lead the course for a renaissance.

That renaissance couldn't kick-off without the proffering of solutions to the issues gnawing away at the progress of the game in the country. 

Well, the clearest indication yet to those solutions themselves may have been provided if the words of one Super Falcon are to be believed. 

2023 FIFA Women's World Cup participant and goalscorer, Uchenna Kanu believes revamping the publicity around women's football and improving on player welfare are essential steps to help progress the game. 

This assertion she gave while in conversation with Nigeria Info's Samuel Victor Akpan on the Game On show.

According to the Racing Louisville of USA forward, the mental health of players - which needs to be stable at all times- should be equally prioritized as it helps players focus solely on football. 

She said: "It is important to touch on the publicity and player's welfare, taking care of the players and putting them in a state where they don't think about anything else other than football.

"Speaking for myself as a footballer, it is important that our mental health is stable, and we need to have a right psychological environment.

"We are playing and we have a lot of things to worry about when it comes to our welfare as footballers; it gives us less advantage when it comes to winning games, putting in our best and performing at the highest level," added Uchenna.

However, a present lack of the aforementioned factors doesn't amount to a sheer inability to achieve the goal as a nation for the two-time World Cup participant. 

"We are getting there and I'm hoping we can get there as soon as we can; obviously women's football is taking over the world and its important that we match up with the pace as a continent and country," she hoped. 

Kanu, 26, was part of the Super Falcons team that reached the second round of the recently concluded FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand where they lost on penalties to current European champions, England. 

She scored Nigeria's first in a crucial 3-2 win over co-hosts, Australia in the group stage of the tournament.

Well capped by the Super Falcons since making her debut for the team in a 1-2 friendly loss to Canada back in April 2019, she recently scored in a crucial second leg 4-0 evisceration of Ethiopia in Abuja, helping the nine-time continental champions reach the next stage of the African qualifying process for the 2024 Paris Olympic games.

 


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