By Daily Sports on December 5, 2016

Nigeria women coach Florence Omagbemi believes African teams at women international tournaments will compete well if Caf provides more competitions for clubs and national sides on the continent.

Omagbemi made history becoming the second to win the continental crown as a player and a coach after leading the Super Falcons to win the 2016 African Women’s Cup of Nation with a 1-0 victory over Cameroon in Yaounde on Saturday.

The 41-year-old who had won four African titles as player appealed to national associations in Africa to support and encourage the growth of the women’s game in their countries.

She further lamented the poor showing of African teams at the World Cup and Olympics, urging football administrations to give a helping hand to moving the women’s game forward.

“If we want to compare our standard of play with the European teams. It is not all about the Nations Cup,” Omagbemi said.

“Teams that participate at the Nations Cup will have a good level of performance with all other teams. But after the Nations Cup, what next for women in Africa.

“I’m speaking out on behalf of Nigeria and other Africa continent. Coming out to the press conferences all the time, we hear different stories about how different federation are struggling for support to get their teams’ ready in women football.

“Now we are done with the Nations Cup. We want to focus again and see how we can prepare this teams for a world cup stage. When the African teams are been represented outside at the world stage at the World Cup and Olympics.”

“It is all about Africa and not about Cameroon and Nigeria. If we have three teams coming out of Africa. We want to support all teams because that will be a great impact other countries and will support and encourage them,” she continued.

“I will want to use this opportunity to advise the federations in Africa to do more for their women’s’ teams. We want to try and develop the women’s game.

“We want to try and develop the game. The more competitions we have against ourselves the better for us, the same opportunity we have to improve their performance level just like with the Cameroonian team.

“We are looking beyond Africa now. And that why I want to plead with Caf to give the women more opportunity to compete for more and not just with the Nations Cup.

“Because women lifetime in the game is different from the men. Having played Nations Cup two years, we are looking at four years time for the Women’s world Cup.

“If can engage them more in and out and try to organize more competitions for the women and we will see everyone around.

“We don’t want to play the Nations in two years, and the next two years we are not going to see most of these girls anymore.

“It is not only for Nigeria but for Cameroon, Kenya, Ghana and all other countries who will want more competitions to prepare them for the world stage.” (NAN)

•Photo shows Florence Omagbemi in Falcons’ game against Mali

Source Daily Sports

Posted December 5, 2016

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