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The unfair treatment accorded female footballers in Nigeria came into focus yesterday at a media roundtable in Lagos.

The event, which
took place in Lagos was organised by Search and Groom, a
nongovernmental organisation based in Lagos in conjunction with the
Heinrich Boell Foundation, a German organisation affiliated to the
German Political Party, Alliance 90/Greens.

The roundtable,
with the theme ‘We play for gender equality,’ had representatives of
media organisations coming together to discuss “Gender (in) equality in
Women Football”.

Delivering the
keynote address at the event, Joke Adefulire, Lagos State Commissioner
for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation decried the imbalance between
the men’s and women’s game.

“The men’s league
has been given its autonomy thereby enjoying the full
benefits/complement of sponsorship, marketing and advertising,” she
said.

Dear to the heart

Adefulire, who said the topic, was dear to her heart, added:

“When we describe
the game as beautiful, we see the future as feminine and for those who
know the link between beauty and feminism. If you conclude that
football is a woman you will not be wrong”.

Participants at the
event deplored the huge gap existing between men and women’s football
in the country particularly the lack of organisation in the women’s
league especially the thinking by the marketing department of the
Nigeria Football Federation that the women’s game is not marketable.

The preferential
treatment accorded members of Nigeria’s male national teams
particularly the Super Eagles, also became a topic discussion at the
roundtable with participants unhappy with the fact that while members
of the Super Eagles are amply rewarded for excelling in international
football competitions, members of the Super Falcons, Nigeria’s senior
women’s team are treated shabbily. They held that while the Eagles were
well rewarded for winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 1994, the
Falcons have not been given any special treatment for their numerous
successes on the African continent.

Shady administrators

Another key issue
that came for discussion at the event was lack of transparency
perceived by the participants to be involved in the administration of
football in Nigeria. They held that with world football governing body,
FIFA making annual grants available to the NFF to develop women’s
football, there is no indication of how the funds are administered.

The media itself
was not absolved of blame in the problems facing women’s football with
participants agreeing that it had not done enough to promote it:

“We have not done
enough to push the equality of the women agenda in a game that the
women have brought us joy and celebration in achievement both
individually and as a team,” Adefulire said adding that the situation
can be remedied:

“However the media can do more because the women game deserves it
and has worked hard to earn our respect by these achievements,” she
said.