World champions, Flamingos, return to heroes’ welcome in Abuja

Nigeria‘s victorious Under-17 women’s national football team, the Flamingos, returned to Abuja on Monday morning to a heroes’ welcome, barely 48 hours after their historic triumph at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, becoming the first African team to win the prestigious competition.

The newly crowned world champions, who defeated Japan 2-1 in Saturday’s final in Rabat, arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight, to an enthusiastic reception from football officials, supporters and well-wishers who celebrated their achievement.

The aircraft, identified as Royal Air Maroc flight AT587, touched down at about 5:50 a.m., with the team’s arrival and reception activities extending into the early hours of Monday, around 6:30 a.m.

The players and their officials were subsequently accommodated at Villa Park Hotel in Gudu, Abuja, as arrangements continued for activities to celebrate their historic victory.

However, an official presidential reception for the victorious team will take place at a later date, owing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s demanding schedule, particularly his ongoing political engagements and campaign activities ahead of the 2027 general election.

Sources close to the Presidency and the National Sports Commission (NSC) disclosed that consultations were ongoing to secure the earliest convenient date for the President to personally receive and honour the young champions and their technical officials.

The sources explained that although the President had already publicly celebrated the team’s remarkable achievement, the demands of his current schedule could make an immediate reception at the State House impracticable.

They, however, indicated that efforts were being made to ensure that the players received appropriate national recognition for bringing home the trophy for the first time in Nigeria’s history.

As part of the homecoming celebrations, plans had also been made for a victory parade through major streets of Abuja, allowing residents of the Federal Capital Territory to catch a glimpse of the world champions and the coveted trophy.

The planned procession was to take the team through Eagle Square and the Federal Secretariat in the Central Business District, Julius Berger Roundabout, Wuse Market, Maitama, Asokoro and Apo.

The arrangement was designed to provide an opportunity for Nigerians to celebrate the players whose achievement has placed the country in the history books of international women’s football.

Before departing Morocco, the team had been honoured at a reception organised by the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko, and the commission’s Director-General, Bukola Olopade.

The team’s arrival marked the culmination of an extraordinary campaign that saw the girls recover from a disappointing opening defeat to produce six consecutive victories, overcoming some of the strongest teams in international age-grade women’s football.

Under the guidance of head coach, Akeem Busari, the Flamingos demonstrated remarkable character and resilience to emerge champions at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat on Saturday.

Their victory over Japan was secured through goals from Awawu Bashiru and Oluebube Umejiaku, who scored in the 39th and 47th minutes respectively.

Bashiru put Nigeria ahead shortly before the interval when her looping effort slipped through the hands of Japanese goalkeeper Kou Kadowaki.

Umejiaku doubled Nigeria’s advantage two minutes after the restart, racing onto a long pass from Esther Stephen before delicately lifting the ball over the advancing goalkeeper.

Japan fought back and reduced the deficit through Fuki Ito in the 80th minute, setting up a tense conclusion to the encounter.

However, the Nigerian girls held their nerve, displaying discipline and determination to protect their slender lead until the final whistle and secure the country’s maiden title in the competition.

The achievement represented a significant improvement on Nigeria’s previous best performance, a third-place finish at the 2022 tournament in India, and established the Flamingos as the first African side to lift the trophy.

The victory was made even more remarkable by the team’s difficult beginning to the tournament.

Nigeria opened their campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Poland, raising concerns about their ability to advance beyond the group stage.

The Flamingos, however, responded with victories over Puerto Rico and defending champions North Korea to secure qualification for the knockout rounds.

They subsequently defeated Mexico in the Round of 16 before overcoming Venezuela in the quarter-finals, courtesy of a decisive late penalty by Azeezat Oduntan.

The team then produced an outstanding performance against Brazil in the semi-finals, recording a 3-1 victory that guaranteed Nigeria’s first appearance in the final of the competition.

Bashiru scored twice against the South Americans, while Queen Joseph also found the net, setting the stage for Saturday’s title-deciding encounter with Japan.

Beyond the collective achievement, Nigeria also celebrated individual recognition, with Umejiaku winning the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.

The 16-year-old forward scored four goals during the competition, including the decisive strike against Japan, and was also named Player of the Match in the final.

The triumph triggered an outpouring of congratulations from across Nigeria, with President Tinubu and First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu leading national celebrations of the young players’ achievement.

In his congratulatory message released at the weekend, the President described the victory as an outstanding moment for Nigeria and a landmark accomplishment for African women’s football.

Tinubu, who received news of the victory after returning from political engagements in Akwa Ibom and Rivers states, said the team’s success demonstrated courage, discipline, determination and the resilience traditionally associated with the Nigerian spirit.

The President expressed particular satisfaction that the Flamingos had fulfilled their promise to bring home the trophy after defeating Brazil in the semi-finals.

He said the young players had shown that determination, teamwork and self-belief could overcome formidable challenges and inspire a new generation of Nigerian girls.

According to him, the victory should serve as encouragement to millions of young Nigerians aspiring to distinguish themselves in sports and other fields of human endeavour.

He particularly commended Bashiru and Umejiaku for scoring the goals that secured the victory, while praising the entire squad for their collective effort throughout the tournament.

Tinubu also congratulated the coaching crew, the Nigeria Football Federation and the National Sports Commission for their contributions to the achievement.

The President described the triumph as an important demonstration of the potential of Nigerian youths when provided with the necessary opportunities and support.

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to grassroots sports development and the expansion of opportunities for talented young Nigerians, particularly girls, to discover and develop their abilities.

In her separate message, the First Lady praised the Flamingos for overcoming their difficult start to the tournament, describing their emergence as world champions as an inspiring lesson in resilience, commitment and teamwork.

Mrs Tinubu said the girls had demonstrated that setbacks need not determine the eventual outcome of any endeavour.

She particularly celebrated their recovery from the defeat to Poland to record six consecutive victories, saying their determination had propelled Nigeria and Africa to a new level in international women’s football.

The First Lady observed that the team’s extraordinary turnaround had demonstrated the value of persistence, dedication and collective effort.

She said: “You shrugged off your shaky start and took on the world, winning six matches in a row on your way to the golden trophy.”

Mrs Tinubu also commended Busari and the technical crew for their role in preparing and guiding the team to victory, describing the achievement as a source of immense national pride.

She noted that the triumph had once again brought international recognition to Nigeria and demonstrated the country’s capacity to compete successfully at the highest level.

The National Sports Commission also hailed the victory, with its Chairman, Dikko, describing it as evidence of the importance of sustained investment in grassroots sports development.

Dikko said Nigeria’s success in Morocco underscored the need to strengthen sporting institutions, create opportunities for emerging athletes and establish development structures capable of producing international champions.

He argued that the country’s future sporting success depended significantly on the quality of support available to young talents at the formative stages of their careers.

Olopade, the commission’s Director-General, described the victory as a collective national achievement and commended the players and technical officials for rewarding the country’s investment in sports with a World Cup trophy.

He also expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for his administration’s support for sports development, saying the Flamingos had demonstrated what could be achieved through a combination of talent, preparation and institutional backing.

The Federal Government delegation at Saturday’s final was led by Dikko and included Olopade, Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and Alhaji Saleh Ahmadu.

Among the prominent football personalities who witnessed the historic encounter were FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Confederation of African Football President Patrice Motsepe, acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, and former NFF President Amaju Pinnick.

Meanwhile, Busari has attributed the Flamingos’ success to careful preparation, discipline, teamwork and the determination of the players to succeed.

Speaking after the final, the coach described the triumph as an important breakthrough for African women’s football, saying it demonstrated the continent’s ability to compete with established football powers.

He stressed the importance of character, attitude and merit in team selection, explaining that the players had been encouraged to work collectively rather than depend solely on individual brilliance.

The coach expressed optimism that Nigeria’s breakthrough would inspire greater confidence and investment in African age-grade football.

For the Flamingos, Monday’s homecoming represented more than the conclusion of a successful international assignment.

It was the beginning of national celebrations of an achievement that had eluded Nigeria since the inception of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2008.

With the trophy finally on Nigerian soil, attention has now shifted to arrangements for the presidential reception, where the victorious players and their officials are expected to be formally honoured for securing a place in the country’s sporting history.

Although the Presidency has yet to announce a date for the ceremony, consultations between relevant government officials and the National Sports Commission are continuing to facilitate the reception at the earliest opportunity.

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