Sports

Sports Enthusiasts Knock Super Falcons’ Poor Performance Against South Africa

Published

4 years ago

July 5, 2022

Many Sports enthusiasts in the nation’s capital territory, have expressed their great disappointment over the Super Falcon’s poor performance against their South African opponents at the ongoing 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

Just on Monday night, Africa’s Banyana Banyana of South Africa stunned champions Super Falcons of Nigeria 2-1 in the Group C opening match at the 2022 WAFCON in Morocco.

The result was similar to that of 2018 WAFCON where Banyana Banyana defeated the Super Falcons 1-0 in their opening game.

The result also meant that the South Africans have now recorded back-to-back wins against Nigeria after they defeated the Super Falcons 4-2 in the Aisha Buhari Cup Invitational in 2021.

A cross section of football fans who spoke with our correspondent in Abuja on Tuesday morning expressed their unpleasant feeling over the Super Falcon’s performance.

A public servant, Gladys Ogar singled out Asisat Oshoala for criticism, saying that she failed to bring her A-game into the match and let her teammates down at critical moments in the game.

“Oshoala for me was the worst player on the pitch today. She failed to shine as she missed several clear cut opportunities in front of goal.

As for Ameachi Agbo , a sports Journalist said that the Falcons were technically as well as tactically deficient and didn’t show enough hunger to win the game.

“It was a lackadaisical performance from a team that had a lot of technical and tactical issues. The Falcons had no playmaker as Rita Chikwelu failed to offer any creative spark in the game and rightly deserved to be taken off.

Expressing his feeling, Olufemi Adedamola, an entrepreneur said it was reality check for the nine-time champions, adding that he was hopeful that they would bounce back from the defeat and perform better as they progress in the tournament.

“The Super Falcons suffered a reality check today against a young Banyana Banyana side who have proven to be a thorn in our flesh in recent times.

“They are the defending champions and the team to beat, but they were brought down to earth by the South Africans, who indeed earned a well-deserved win I must say.

“The team generally speaking, looked rusty and it’s fair to say their errors in the second half cost them the game.

“I hope they will go back to the drawing board, make the necessary adjustments and bounce back quickly from this defeat just as they did in 2018.”

Amaka Obiekwe, a student,

Another sports Journalists, Uche Okonkow noted that the Falcons’ defence line was poor, adding that only Michelle Alozie and Ashleigh Plumptre showed some flash of brilliance.

“The two centre-backs were a mess, failing to cope with the speed and skill of the South Africans. Onome Ebi, the captain was unaware of her surroundings for the first goal and out of position for the second.

“She lacked positional awareness and the speed to match the athletic South Africans.

“Alozie, the American fullback was solid defensively in the first half and looked good going forward. However, she was at fault for South Africa’s second goal as she was caught out of position.”

However, the Super Falcons will next face debutants Botswana while South Africa and they need to redeemed their image.

Share on Facebook

Sports

Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney

Published

7 hours ago

October 3, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Jibril Seidu, has said the federation will continue to intensify its grassroots talent development drive through zonal competitions across the country.

Seidu stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the finals of the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship, where Plateau Vipers defeated Suleja Shooters 29-24 to emerge champions in the men’s category.

In the women’s final, Benue Queens of Makurdi defeated City Queens of Suleja to claim the title.

The eight-day tournament featured teams from across the North Central Zone, with Plateau Vipers of Jos, Confluence Stars of Lokoja, Unity Boys of Abuja, Suleja Shooters and Nasarawa Ambassadors of Lafia competing in the men’s category.

In the women’s category, Nuela Handball Academy of Ilorin, Inikpi Babes of Idah, Benue Queens of Makurdi and City Queens of Suleja competed for honours.

At the end of the competition, four teams — two male and two female — emerged as the North Central Zone’s representatives for the national Division One league.

According to Seidu, the tournament was organised as part of the federation’s deliberate strategy to take handball development back to the regions and discover talents that might otherwise remain unnoticed.

He said the HFN board, inaugurated on October 25, 2025, resolved that grassroots development was essential to creating a sustainable pipeline of players for national and international competitions.

“All the teams you have seen here are from the North Central Zone of the country, and every state is represented with an academy or state team,” he said.

Seidu explained that the new approach marked a departure from the previous system, where talent identification was largely centred on the federation’s major league competitions.

He said taking competitions to the regions would provide young players with greater opportunities to showcase their abilities while strengthening the foundation of handball across the country.

The HFN president also linked the grassroots initiative to Nigeria’s recent achievements in international handball, stressing the need to develop younger players who can eventually replace members of the current national teams.

He noted that Nigeria had qualified for the 2027 Men’s Junior Handball World Championship in North Macedonia, describing the achievement as evidence of the potential within the country’s handball system.

“How do we replace these players with upcoming players? This is the avenue for us to get players,” he said.

Seidu added that the federation was determined to make handball more visible and accessible, describing it as one of Nigeria’s major sporting disciplines with significant potential for growth.

The North Central tournament is part of a wider zonal programme designed to decentralise handball development across Nigeria.

According to the federation, similar competitions are being organised across other zones, including the South East, North East, North West and South South, with qualifiers from each zone expected to converge at a designated venue for the next stage of the competition.

The federation also appealed for greater support from sponsors, stakeholders and state associations to sustain its grassroots development programme.

It expressed appreciation to the participating states, academies, team sponsors and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the growth of handball in Nigeria.

The federation said the initiative would provide a platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian handball stars while expanding the sport’s reach beyond its traditional centres.
While Speaking the elated coach of Benue Queen Godwin Tondo has promised a stronger and more tactical performance after guiding the team to victory at the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship in Abuja.
He attributed the success to the team’s long-term youth development programme, noting that the squad was built through a deliberate process of identifying and nurturing young talents.
According to him, the programme began with the selection of 92 girls from secondary schools, who were subsequently trained and developed over a four-year period.

He said the team’s success was a product of sustained hard work and commitment despite the challenges encountered during preparations for the tournament.

“I feel very pleased being a champion today. The road to this stage was very, very hard, but I am very happy that we have got the result from all the toughness of the game,” he said.

Share on Facebook