Sports

Fifa honours Mercy Akide, the first African woman to play professional football in the USA

Published

7 months ago

May 8, 2024

World football governing body, FIFA, has poured encomiums on former Super Falcons star, Mercy Akide-Udoh, who is on record as the first African woman to play professional football in the now-defunct Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) league in the USA.

From playing for local club, Jegede Babes FC of Lagos in the burgeoning Nigerian women’s league, Akide-Udoh grew to become one of the most decorated female footballers on the continent.

The lethal striker was named the first African Women Footballer of the Year in 2001, and played for the Falcons of Nigeria in three FIFA Women’s World Cups and also helped Nigeria’s Super Falcons to three African Women Championships (AWC) titles in 1998, 2000 and 2002, and was a 1999 and 2004 FIFA World All-Star.

Akide-Udoh’s presence in female football symbolized Nigeria’s accomplishments, with FIFA acknowledging her as “the most renowned figure in African women’s football and one of the most formidable attacking players of the previous decade.”

A citation on Akide-Udoh on the FIFA website said the most decorated female African footballer, through her contributions, significantly increased the visibility of African women in global football.

“Her journey began in Port Harcourt in 1975, where she honed her skills by playing with boys in her neighbourhood.

“Subsequently, she progressed to join a local team and later relocated to Lagos to play for Jegede Babes.

“After displaying outstanding performances during the 1999 World Cup in the United States, Akide received a four-year scholarship to Milligan College in Tennessee.

“During her time at Milligan, Akide demonstrated exceptional performance. Her achievement of scoring 42 goals in 1999 was instrumental in Milligan achieving its most successful season in the history of the football program.

“Akide also holds three Milligan’s football records of the most goals scored in a single game (7) and single season (42) and most points in a single season (99).

“Subsequently, she transitioned to playing for the Hampton Roads Piranhas of the W-League and later for the San Diego Spirit of the Women’s United Soccer Association in California.

“It was during her time at San Diego Spirit that she became the first recipient of the CAF Best Female Player of the Year Award in 2001.

“In 2003, Akide returned to Hampton Roads, where she dedicated three seasons of her career.

“In her first season back with the Piranhas, Akide achieved the league’s Most Valuable Player Award as a result of scoring the winning goal in the National Championship game.

“Following her collegiate career, Akide represented Nigeria in three FIFA Women’s World Cups (Sweden 1995, USA 1999, and 2003) as well as the Olympic Games in Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004) respectively.

“Upon retiring, Akide ventured into coaching and took on the role of youth development director for several U-16 and U-13 teams in the United States.

“She received the FIFA World All-Star recognition in both 1999 and 2004. While in 2005, FIFA appointed her as an Ambassador for Women’s Football. Akide was inducted into the United Soccer Leagues’ Hall of Fame in 2013.

“In 2019, Akide-Udoh was recognized as the Regent University athletic department’s Coach of the Year in the United States.

“Her expertise in the sport was further acknowledged in 2021 when she was appointed to the football advisory panel of the International Football Association Board, the entity responsible for determining the laws of the game.

“Akide, who was featured on the cover of the official program of the 1999 Women’s World Cup, got married to football journalist, Colin Udoh in 2004.

“Presently, Akide and her husband live in Virginia Beach, Virginia, alongside their two children and is currently the Assistant Team Director of Steel United, Virginia, a youth football team based in the United States.”

Click to comment

Sports

Nigeria’s Lookman, Zambia’s Banda big winners at 2024 CAF Award

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Nigerian sensation, Ademola Lookman, has wrapped his footballing year with another win after being declared as the Men’s Footballer of the Year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Lookman, who plays for Italian club side Atalanta, was the biggest winner at the star-studded 2024 CAF Awards in Marrakech following 12 months with Italian side Atalanta and the Nigerian Super Eagles. He follows in the footsteps of compatriot Victor Osimhen, who claimed the award in 2023.

This is the first time Nigeria has had consecutive men’s award winners since nearly thirty years, when Nwankwo Kanu (1996) and Victor Ikpeba (1997) were awarded.

Other top African achievers recognized for their exploits during the event include South Africa’s Ronwen Williams and Zambia’s Barbra Banda. Banda was instrumental in leading Orlando Pride to the NWSL Shield and Championship in the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League season in the United States. She scored the game-winning goal in the final against Washington Spirit.

Other winners include Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie, who won Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award for the second year in a row after another impressive season for French side Paris FC.

Sanaâ Mssoudy, a forward for AS FAR and Morocco, received the Women’s Interclub Player of the Year award after winning the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League Best Player title. Agile box-to-box midfielder, Lamine Camara of Senegal and Monaco, won the Men’s Young Player of the Year award for his outstanding performances for both club and country.

Doha El Madani, a 19-year-old Moroccan and AS FAR player, won the Women’s Young Player of the Year award after scoring six goals in five games to win the Golden Boot at the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League.

See the full winners list below:

2024 CAF AWARDS WINNERS

CAF PLAYER OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Ademola Lookman (Nigeria / Atalanta)

CAF PLAYER OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Barbra Banda (Zambia / Orlando Pride)

CAF GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)

CAF GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria / Paris FC)

CAF INTERCLUB PLAYER OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)

CAF INTERCLUB PLAYER OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Sanaâ Mssoudy (Morocco / AS FAR)

CAF YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Lamine Camara (Senegal / AS Monaco)

CAF YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Doha El Madani (Morocco / AS FAR)

CAF COACH OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Emerse Fae (Cote d’Ivoire)

CAF COACH OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Lamia Boumehdi (TP Mazembe)

CAF NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Cote d’Ivoire

CAF NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Nigeria

CAF CLUB OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Al Ahly (Egypt)

CAF CLUB OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
TP Mazembe (DR Congo)

CAF REFEREE OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Mutaz Ibrahim (Libya)

CAF REFEREE OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco)

CAF ASSISTANT REFEREE OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Elvis Guy Noupue Nguegoue (Cameroon)

CAF ASSISTANT REFEREE OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Diana Chikotesha (Zambia)

CAF GOAL OF THE YEAR
Mabululu (Angola)

Sports

Salah wins 6th EPL Player of the Month award

Published

3 days ago

December 15, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Egyptian national team captain and Liverpool forward, Mohamed Salah, was on Saturday voted the EA SPORTS Player of the Month for November 2024, making it his sixth POTM diadem in his career.

Salah, who has been in inspiring form this season, has scored and assisted five of Liverpool’s seven goals as the Reds won all three of their Premier League matches to stay top of the table.

Salah’s was November’s highest scorer in the Premier League and the Egyptian is now on 13 goals for the season, level with Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race.

The 32-year-old also has 21 combined goals and assists this season, the most in the Premier League, four more than Cole Palmer, who ranked second in the voting.

This award also puts Salah alongside Premier League legends like Steven Gerrard and Cristiano Ronaldo, who also won the Player of the Month award six times, and is now just one win away from equaling the record of seven awards, held by Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero.