Nigeria defender Osinachi Ohale’s Super Falcons career is over, leaving behind a career that changed how women footballers are identified and protected.
She announced her retirement from international football after an illustrious 16-year career representing Nigeria.
Ohale, who earned 86 international caps, featured in four FIFA Women’s World Cups and seven WAFCON tournaments, winning five African titles with the Super Falcons.
In an emotional farewell message, the veteran defender expressed gratitude to her teammates, coaches, the Nigeria Football Federation, and Nigerian fans for their support throughout her journey.
“The jersey will leave my shoulders, but it will never leave my heart.”
Osinachi Ohale’s Super Falcons Career: Legacy Moment
Of Ohale’s 86 matches for Nigeria, one stands out in a period when the Super Falcons’ African domination came under attack from the Simpore sisters and Equatorial Guinea.
Like a Trojan, Ohale got the job to mark Salimata Simpore in a Women’s AFCON match against Equatorial Guinea.
A job she delivered, but recounting her experience defending Simpore in the tournament final, Ohale noted how exceptionally difficult the task was due to Simpore’s striking physical strength and masculine attributes.
“I had to be on her all the time. But there was nothing female about him. He was strong and even smells like a guy.”
The Super Falcons won 4-2 and the women’s AFCON trophy, restoring their pride and putting CAF on notice for an issue spoken in hushed tones.
Meanwhile, Ghana and South Africa joined Nigeria to make an official complaint.
Equatorial Guinea quietly dropped forward Salimata Simpore and her sister Bilguisa Simpore from the squad just days before the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany.
The fallout from the 2010 Nigeria vs. Equatorial Guinea controversy changed the administrative landscape of African and global women’s football, prompting regulatory interventions from both CAF and FIFA.
