NIGERIA legend Mercy Akide-Udoh says women's football
worldwide, and especially on the African continent deserves greater attention
and investment.
Akide-Udoh was one of the legends of the game, and the
only former African woman player, invited by FIFA to attend the General
Assembly in Mexico in order to help chart a new course for football, and the
Nigeria super star said women have been given short shrift for too long.
"Girls train as hard as the men, play as hard as the
men but women footballers are treated like second class citizens, especially in
Africa. That needs to change," Akide-Udoh said.
"The girls must be treated with respect, they must
be paid as well as the men, and they must have proper domestic competitions to
play in.
"It is very important for sponsors to invest in
women's football as many of these girls are also breadwinners for their
families."
"It was a good experience interacting with him. He
has some bright ideas to move football forward and I believe that with
everyone's support, he will make things better."
Two former winners of the FIFA World Player of the Year,
Mia Hamm of the USA and Luis Figo of Portugal, were appointed as the player
representatives in the FIFA Council, and Akide-Udoh said they would be great
representatives
"Mia and Luis have the full support of all of us as
our representatives on the FIFA Council and I have no doubt in my mind that
they will do a fantastic job," said the former Super Falcons star.
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