The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has blamed Moroccan customs authorities for the delay in delivering official Nike kits to the Super Falcons, who have been training in old match gear at the ongoing 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
Photos of the team in outdated jerseys sparked widespread questions among fans and observers on social media, with many asking why Nigeria’s national women’s team had not received their designated WAFCON training attire.
Super Falcons midfielder Toni Payne using the old kit in training. Photo Credit: Justina Aniefiok
Speaking in an interview with former BBC journalist Osasu Obayiuwana on Friday in Casablanca, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau explained that the new kits had arrived in Morocco but were being held by customs authorities.
“The kit was supposed to come earlier than this time, before people start talking whatever they are talking,” Gusau said.
“Nike have done their best. The agreement with Nike is that they send kit for tournaments to the venue of the tournament. The kit is in Casablanca. They are stuck with Moroccan customs.”
According to Gusau, the kits were shipped by Nike to Morocco well ahead of the competition, as per standard agreement.
The shipping was handled by DHL, but attempts to deliver the gear directly to the team’s hotel were unsuccessful due to red tape.
“DHL tried to sort it out and see how they could get the kit to the players’ hotel [but without success],” Gusau said.
Super Falcons midfielder Esther Okoronkwo using the old kit in training. Photo Credit: Justina Aniefiok
“I was in Rabat to see officials of the Moroccan Football Federation, to see how they can help us get the kit out”.
He went on to display an invoice from DHL on his phone, confirming that the gear had been cleared on paper but was still physically held at a Moroccan customs warehouse under the Administration des Douanes et Impôts Indirects (ADII).
“Every country has its processes. Sometimes you find them easy and sometimes you find them cumbersome,” Gusau said. “Within a couple of days, Friday and Saturday everything will be sorted out.”
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Despite those assurances, a team official told Obayiuwana on Saturday that the kits had still not reached the players. It has now been over a week since the Nike-supplied WAFCON gear arrived in Morocco.
“We are still working to get it,” the official confirmed.
The continued absence of official training kits during the tournament has reignited frustration among Nigerian football fans, many of whom view it as part of a broader pattern of administrative missteps in the women’s game.
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The incident adds to existing concerns about logistical planning, player welfare, and the NFF’s coordination with sponsors and tournament hosts.
