Nigeria’s U-17 Women’s team, the Flamingos, touched down in Abuja yesterday to a hero’s welcome after being crowned world champions.

They secured the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title in Morocco on Saturday, overcoming a hard-fighting Japanese team 2-1 in the final to become the first African nation ever to win the tournament.

The victorious girls arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport from where they were taken and camped in a luxurious hotel in Abuja.

The Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, and members of the NFF Management paid a visit to the Flamingos at their Abuja hotel in the afternoon.

They lauded the NFF and the entire Nigeria football family for the hard work, discipline and dedication of the young players.

Ikpeme fed the team with words of encouragement and motivation, assuring them of the Federal Government and the good people of Nigeria’s appreciation for how they had improved the country’s position on the world football map.

He reiterated that not only is Nigeria the first African country to win the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, Nigeria is also the first African country to win male and female titles of the FIFA U17 World Cup.

There is no way the history of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup will be written without your names. The Federal Government is happy and the generality of Nigerians are happy about this accomplishment.

Our prayer is that as a collective and as individuals, you will continue to improve your game to get even better and take your game to the next level.”

He concluded with a fatherly advice to the girls, telling them to make a commitment to improve in every area of their game that they believe they have shortcomings, and never to stop aspiring for greater things.

“My prayer to you all is that, as you have decided to take football as a career, your career will not end abruptly; it will keep progressing.

As a federation, we want to see that you progress from the U-17 level to the U-20 and then the Super Falcons.”

Credit: Daily Trust

Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has alleged that officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) prevented him from greeting members of Nigeria’s Under-17 women’s national football team, the Flamingos, at an airport over fears of losing their jobs.

Obi said he was informed that the officials had warned against allowing him to approach the players, threatening that they would all lose their jobs if he greeted the team.

The former Anambra State governor disclosed this in a post on X on Monday while expressing concern over what he described as the growing culture of toxic politics in Nigeria.

Obi said he arrived at the airport around 7 a.m. to board a flight to Enugu when he sighted the Flamingos, who had just arrived and were preparing to leave the airport.

He said he subsequently asked his Protocol Officer, Jackie Wayas, to find out whether he could greet and welcome the players.

However, he alleged that NFF officials rejected the request and instructed that he should not approach the team.

Obi recalled that the incident was not the first time he had been prevented from interacting with members of a Nigerian national team.

He recalled that on March 25, 2025, when he travelled to Uyo for a World Cup qualifying match, the state governor warmly received him at the VIP stand.

However, he alleged that after the match, when other government officials went to greet the players, he was prevented from doing the same.

Manchester City suffered a shock 3-1 defeat at Nottinghaam Forest in the English Premier League on Saturday night.

Liam Delap’s brace and Jair Cunha’s opener ensured Forest claimed maximum points against the fumbling former EPL champions riddled with defensive lapses.

Forest took the lead on eight minutes through defender Cunha who dispossessed Josko Gvardiol close to the penalty area, before slotting a low shot beyond the goalkeeper from just inside the box.

Delap doubled the lead with a rasping drive on 18 minutes after he stole the ball from City’s hesitant players.

The visitors reduced the deficit on 52 minutes from Ryan Cherki’s half-voley that nestled into the top of the net, but a defiant Forest regained the two-goal lead on 72 minutes through Delap.

The former Chelsea striker completed his brace with a piledriver into the top corner from Morgan Gibbs-White’s pass off a counter attack.

Defeat is Manchester City’s third consecutive since their seven-match winning run ended at Aston Villa.

City also lose three on the bounce for the first time since 2024, and are six points off the pace behind EPL leaders Arsenal.Nottingham Forest however climb out of the relegation waters with a first win in six matches.