Falcons criticism unfair – Ajibade

Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade has described the criticism leveled against the team following their disappointing Women's Africa Cup of Nations campaign as unfair. She emphasized the players' unwavering determination to secure a spot in the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup, despite losing their automatic qualification chance.

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A lot of people don’t know what players are going through to come and represent the country. Players put in everything on the pitch, and people will still say what they want to say. It is not fair, and we can do better as a person, as a nation.

The Falcons must now defeat South Africa in Casablanca to advance to the FIFA Intercontinental Play-offs. This tournament, scheduled for November and December, offers another route to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. Nigeria's journey in the WAFCON included a difficult 3-2 loss to debutants Malawi, followed by a 1-0 victory over Zambia and a 6-2 thrashing of Egypt. However, a 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Cameroon ended their hopes of defending their title and securing automatic World Cup qualification.

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You have social media, but it doesn’t mean you should keep bashing people.

Ajibade urged supporters to understand the sacrifices made by the players while representing the country. She stated that players give their all on the pitch, yet still face negative comments. "It is not fair, and we can do better as a person, as a nation," Ajibade remarked during the pre-match press conference ahead of the South Africa game.

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For us, we have seen all of those things, and we know that all we are trying to do is make the nation proud. We are not going to the pitch to mess anybody up.

She acknowledged the impact of social media but cautioned against excessive negativity. Ajibade reiterated the team's commitment to making the nation proud and emphasized that they play with the family name at stake. The Falcons captain expressed that the players feel the pain of the fans and share the desire for victory, recalling the support received in previous tournaments.

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When you see the jersey, we wear the family name, so that is at stake as well. We also want to win as much as you want to win. We felt everybody’s pain, and we felt the support that we got last year. That is what we want to keep doing.