Information reaching our Sports Desk is that Morocco have filed a petition to CAF questioning the eligibility of two players who played for the women’s team of Nigeria in the final of the WAFCON, which Nigeria won 3-2 on Saturday night.
The host were two goals up going into the half time break , but a second half rally by the Nigerian team helped them to a 3-2 win, and also the title for the tenth time in the history of the tournament.
Before the game, there was a protest lodged by Morocco on the eligibility of two of the Nigerian players – Ashleigh Plumptre and Michelle Alozie. Both players were born outside Nigeria but made the decision to play for Nigeria at the senior level.
In their protest, Morocco say the manner of their switch of nationality is faulty citing some irregularities in their claims to be Nigerians. They expressly want Nigeria to lose the title by virtue of fielding both players in the tournament.
Plumptre got FIFA approval to play for Nigeria in 2021 after it was established that her paternal grandfather is a Nigerian. In her own case Alozie was born in the USA to immigrant parents from Nigeria.
Nigeria are however not losing sleep over the protest with a top member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) describing it as dead on arrival.
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