Stella Mbachu is arguably the fastest Super Falcons player; with her speed and skills, she dominated matches for Nigeria during the glorious era of women’s football in the country.
In this exclusive interview with AJIBADE OLUSESAN, the former Pelican Stars winger expressed sadness at the terrible fortune of the league.
However, she praised the Flamingos for reaching the semifinal of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup believing that they would defeat Germany in the third-place match slated for Saturday (today). Excerpts:
The Flamingos crashed out in the semifinal of the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, how did you receive the defeat?
The ladies tried their best; they reached the semi-final and this is the first time Nigeria would get to this level.
For me, they did so well, it was our wish that they get to the final but this is football anything can happen and that is what we have seen.
They have set the standard now and I know that the next set of people that will play at that level will try to get to the final. So, it was a glorious outing for these kids.
Having defeated the United States in the quarterfinals, there were hopes the girls would be able to take care of the Colombians but it didn’t happen
Many people thought Colombia would be a walkover; I could have thought that way too but I knew these Colombians might go back to the drawing board to watch our videos and come up with plans to stop us and that is what they have done.
I had a heated argument with some of my colleagues who were saying the Flamingos would roast the Colombians; I told them no, it might not happen that way;
I told them these people would watch our games, especially the one in the quarterfinal where we defeated the United States and come up with how best they want to handle us including the penalties.
And when I was discussing with my colleagues after the match, I told them I had envisaged what happened in the match.
The dream to play in the final is dead but how would you sum up the performance of the team in the competition?
They gave a good account of themselves; I am impressed with the way they comported themselves, they showed that they listened and carried out the instructions of the coaches and that is why they were able to go far.
They could have been in the final because penalties usually are a game of luck and maybe they were not that lucky during the shootout on Wednesday.
Which of the players has particularly caught your attention?
They have all done well, but I am more impressed by the performance of those on the frontline.
The three of the four players the coach usually starts in the attack could go places; they were very good and we have to keep our eyes on them.
We are playing Germany in the bronze medal match on Saturday (today) do you think the Flamingos can exact revenge after they lost their opening match to the Europeans?
It is surprising to see Germany crash out in the semifinal and as I said, it is football. Our girls can beat them on Saturday if they can do what it takes.
What do I mean? They have to play according to the instruction of the coach; they have to quickly put aside their loss in the semifinal and seize this opportunity to go home with something.
Germany are beatable; they are probably going to relax, thinking they have beaten us before and they would do it again and if our girls can capitalise on that before you know it the match is over.
The Falconets got to the quarterfinal of the U-20 World Cup; now the U-17 reached the semifinals of their own competition and these teams were handled by local coaches, what do you think is the message to the Nigerian Football Federation?
Honestly, that is a very brilliant question. That is to tell you that the local coaches are working, it shows that they know the game and can compete with their counterparts from anywhere in the world; they only need encouragement and support for them to deliver, that is the simple answer to that question.
Local coaches have been given opportunities to handle the junior teams but usually, the NFF go for foreign coaches for the Super Falcons, does that mean our local coaches can’t do the job effectively?
That is what they believe, but I hope the new people will not get it wrong when they are making decisions about the Falcons.
What have all the foreign coaches they have hired done that the local coaches have not done even better? That is why they have to sit down and ask themselves the question about what exactly we need foreign coaches to do here.
Why are we spending our dollars on them? I think it is a waste of money; we can spend that money to send our coaches to refresher courses abroad and they will come back and impart their knowledge on our football here.
You can’t go abroad and bring coaches that we are better than and in most cases these foreigners would come from academies abroad or very local clubs to handle the national team of Nigeria when we have Premiership and Championship coaches here.
Falcons are going in again for the World Cup next July, how far do you think they can go this time around bearing in mind that we have always faltered in this competition?
The grouping is out already and since the start of the Women’s World Cup, this is the easiest group the Super Falcons will find themselves.
If they have good preparation including getting them Grade A friendlies and the coach selects the best players for the tournament, I believe they can go beyond the quarterfinals.
We really have to get it right especially with the issue of player selection.
The coach must not think a player should be in the team because she is his friend or because she is foreign-based or home-based one, he has to be ready to choose the very best at the moment for the team and then we can be hopeful of a very good outing.
How will you assess the team under the leadership of Coach Randy Waldrum?
He has only handled them for the African Women’s Nations Cup and some other friendly matches; this is the first time he will take them to the World Cup.
But even in the African Nations Cup, the team couldn’t win it under the coach…
Honestly, for me, I haven’t seen anything fantastic the new coach has done; he hasn’t done anything different from what our local coaches did in the past.
In fact, as I said earlier, our indigenous coach could have done better, they have won the Nations Cup several times and did very well against big countries.
Waldrum has a chance to redeem himself by going to the World Cup and getting the girls to go far in the competition.
Your electric speed and impeccable skills set you apart during your days in the national team but the national team hasn’t been blessed with someone like you since you left, what do you think is responsible for this?
My skills and speed are talents peculiar to me; everybody has his or her talent, we all can’t be the same but I believe somebody with the kind of talent I have would come soon if we keep working hard.
Don’t you think those in charge of football are not doing enough to discover new talent?
There are a lot of academies now and we can take advantage of that to discover more players. The NFF and those responsible for that are doing their best but we can step things up a bit.
Asisat Oshoala has been exceptional and after claiming her fifth African Player of the Year Award, she has been described as the greatest player in the history of women football in Nigeria and Africa, do you think she’s actually the best ever?
Asisat Oshoala is a very good player but I cannot say she is the best in the history of Nigeria. What I think working for her is grace; God has shown her mercy and nobody can take that away.
I am not saying she does not merit all the awards and achievements she has got but it is difficult to say she is the best ever because Nigeria has been blessed with a lot of fantastic players but it seems none of us has had the kind of grace Asisat is blessed with.
Could you recall your toughest match?
I have always had my toughest matches in the World Cup; football at that level is always different, the opponents are of top quality.
Do you have any particular match or team in mind?
Of course, I will say the United States; we had a way of handling China and Sweden didn’t beat us since that first time.
Japan couldn’t beat us and even Norway since the early ‘90s found it difficult to beat us. It is only United States that I know always gives us a hell of a time.
Any defender particularly who gave you tough times as an opponent?
It was Kikelomo Ajayi; she was the only player that looked like she had my number.
Even in training, she was always unplayable, when we faced ourselves at the club level, then she was playing for Jegede Babes and I played for Pelican Stars, she was always a thorn in my flesh.
You must have played under many coaches in your career which of them made the greatest impression on you?
There were a number of them; Ismaila Mabo, Sam Okpodu, you remember him? That former Green Eagles player; these two national team coaches were exceptional. At the club level, I will remember the late Ike Onyechukwu, another great coach.
Why did you choose to play football?
I love sports generally but honestly speaking I just found myself playing football. I didn’t realise I had fallen in love with the game until I fully understood its power to unite people and make them so happy.
Did you start as a winger?
No, I actually started football as a centre-forward.
And at what time did you change to wing play?
It was the coach who discovered me, the late Godwin Apkaramo from Imo State, that used me as an outside right, outside left, a centre forward. He even used me as a fullback.
But I enjoyed playing from the flanks, I settled for it and I later called it ‘an area of operation’, because, at the wing, it is you and your ability.
Your best teammates?
The number one is Perpetual Nkwocha; another person is Dede Precious, we always did things together and the person ahead of me that I also respect so much is Rita Nwadike.
It is hard to compare football during your time and now, what made the game tick in that era?
Women’s football during my time was very competitive; you can remember that there were a lot of clubs; we had Ufuoma Babes, Jegede Babes, we had Kakanfo, Olajimeji Tigress, there was Pelican Stars and many others who aren’t existing again.
There were also sponsors for the women league, we played regular and Super Leagues, women’s football was very hot and that is where we were able to get all these talents that made an impact in the national team the likes of Patience Avre, Faith Ikidi, Nkechi Egbe, Rita Nwadike, Nkwocha, Ifeanyi Chiejine, Osunwa Ogunbor, those were the times.
During that period, you would see crowds at the stadium who had come to watch women’s football. How about our training? The fans would turn up to watch our sessions.
There have been a lot of stories about the fact that women footballers don’t have time for boyfriends and things like that, are you guys romantic like other ladies?
Yes, of course, we are 100 per cent romantic like other girls. Most of us that got married today, they wouldn’t have done so if they weren’t having boyfriends.
We were doing it, it is just that you must find a man that understands you and know how football works. To us, football is religion and passion but an understanding man will be able to know this and how he can handle his babe.
What is your advice for the new NFF board especially regarding women’s football?
They must settle down quickly and show us how they want to revive the league. I pray they can do this for us so that we can recapture the past glory. The talent is there, we just need to focus. If they do this for us, I will be so happy.
Source: New Telegraph
