Nigeria’s bid to win their 10th African Women’s Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title comes to the last hurdle when they meet hosts Morocco in the final in Rabat on Saturday.
The North Africans, meanwhile, hope to claim their first title — joining Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa on the honour roll — in front of what is expected to be a partisan crowd inside the Olympic Stadium.
Nigeria coach Justine Madugu was unheralded before the tournament — he was ridiculed by some, including his former boss, Randy Waldrum — but he has taken an unassuming, one might even say philosophical, approach to the job of leading the biggest women’s football team in Africa, and by far the most successful.
On the other side of the touchline, Jorge Vidal leads Morocco just two years after taking Spain to victory in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
But this game is more than Madugu vs. Vidal, with a number of storylines that just about write themselves.
Super Falcons must overcome crowd pressure
To achieve their “Mission X” objective, and claim their 10th title, Nigeria have to beat more than the 11 players on the field for Morocco. They will also have to contend with the fans in the 68,700-capacity Olympic Stadium in Rabat, and their lasers.
But Nigeria are not nine-time champions for nothing. Neither are they strangers to overcoming a partisan crowd.
In 2000, they claimed their second WAFCON title in South Africa, in front of one of the most hostile crowds they have ever faced. It was so bad that the game had to be abandoned after 73 minutes, when fans started throwing objects at the referee after Stella Mbachu scored Nigeria’s second goal to all but put the game beyond Banyana Banyana.
In 2016, they faced another intimidating atmosphere when they played hosts Cameroon in Ahmadu Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé. More than 60,000 spectators crammed into the stadium, including top officials of state and the wife of the president, and the venue rocked as Cameroon sought their first title; but Desire Oparanozie broke home hearts with the goal that won Nigeria their eighth title.
Outside WAFCON, the Super Falcons braved an even more intimidating crowd in Ghana during qualifying for the 2004 Olympic Games; Nigeria won on penalties in Accra, with the Ghana’s first lady also sitting in the stands.
They were, however, undone by Morocco at the 2022 WAFCON tournament, when two red cards and missed opportunities cost them dear.
Madugu says the players have become accustomed to partisan crowds.
“Our players have played at different competitions and leagues, with crowds similar to those they will face in Morocco,” he said. “So it will not be a strange thing for them.”
“Even in this competition, they have played in different countries with very large crowds and they were not intimidated. The last semifinal game we played against Morocco, we handled it well and the game went as far as penalty shootouts. So its not strange. We are ready for it, no problem.”
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