Mercy Akide remains one of the most celebrated pioneers in African women’s football. Renowned for her pace, skill, and instinctive goal-scoring ability, she broke barriers and inspired generations of female footballers across Nigeria and the African continent.

Early Career and Rise to Fame

Akide’s football journey began on the streets of Port Harcourt, where she first honed her skills. She went on to star for Jegede Babes and later Garden City Queens before gaining prominence with Jegede Babes’ successor, Jegede Babes Queens. Her breakthrough came with her dynamic performances for the Super Falcons, Nigeria’s women’s national team, where her attacking prowess made her an indispensable forward.

Achievements with the Super Falcons

Mercy Akide played in three FIFA Women’s World Cups (1995, 1999, and 2003), representing Nigeria on the global stage. She was instrumental in the Super Falcons’ dominance of continental football, helping the team secure three African Women’s Championship (AWC) titles during her era (1998, 2000, 2002).
While not always captain, Akide was consistently a leading figure on the field, known for her ability to deliver crucial goals and inspire confidence in her teammates.

International Recognition

In 2001, Akide became the first African woman to be named African Women’s Footballer of the Year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). This landmark achievement not only honored her individual brilliance but also symbolized the growing recognition of women’s football on the continent.

That same year, she also made history as the first African woman to play in the U.S. Women’s Professional Soccer League (WUSA), joining San Diego Spirit before later moving to Carolina Courage.

Her move to the United States elevated the visibility of African women’s football and inspired many young players to dream beyond local leagues.

Ambassadorial Role

Recognizing her influence on and off the pitch, FIFA appointed Mercy Akide in 2005 as one of its 15 Ambassadors for Women’s Football. In this capacity, she has championed women’s participation in the sport globally, using her platform to mentor, motivate, and advocate for gender equality in football.

Legacy

Mercy Akide’s career brought glory to Nigeria and opened doors for future generations of African women footballers to pursue professional careers abroad. Her trailblazing achievements—from continental dominance with the Super Falcons to international breakthroughs in the U.S.—cement her legacy as one of Africa’s greatest female football icons.

Her story stands as a testament to resilience, dedication, and the power of representation in women’s sports.

Sources
Confederation of African Football (CAF) archives, 2001 Awards

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Former Premier League referee David Coote has been charged with making an indecent image of a child.

Coote, 43, was sacked from his officiating role in December after a video showing him making derogatory remarks about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in 2020 came to light.

The charge of making an indecent image of a child refers to activities such as downloading, sharing or saving abuse photos or videos.

Coote, who was charged on August 12 and is on conditional bail, is set to appear at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

The allegation relates to a video recovered by officers from Nottinghamshire Police in February, the force said.

Coote was also banned from officiating by European governing body UEFA until June 2026 after a different video emerged of him snorting a white powder through a bank note while in Germany for Euro 2024.

In a January interview he came out as gay and said his struggle to hide his sexuality had contributed to bad choices.

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The Nigeria Football Federation has openly criticised Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers and faulted captain William Troost-Ekong after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with South Africa in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Bloemfontein.

The Eagles, who needed a victory to revive their fading hopes of qualifying for next year’s tournament in North America, suffered an early setback when Ola Aina limped off in the eighth minute.

Matters got worse when Troost-Ekong turned the ball into his own net in the 25th minute to hand Bafana Bafana the lead.

Though Calvin Bassey headed home an equaliser just before half-time, Nigeria failed to convert possession into goals after the break, with substitutes Tolu Arokodare, Samuel Chukwueze and Chrisantus Uche all unable to break down the South African defence.

In its post-match statement made available to journalists on Tuesday by the NFF Director of Communications, Dr Ademola Olajire, the NFF singled out Dessers, who was withdrawn at half-time, for particular criticism.

“Cyriel Dessers, who had an unimpressive game in Uyo where he turned out to be a substitute that was substituted, did not have a better game as he was too slow to latch onto passes, could not win aerial balls and did little in bringing alive the Nigerian attack,” the statement read.

The statement also faulted skipper Troost-Ekong for handing the Bafana Bafana the opener.

“The Super Eagles’ fighting spirit was diminished for a period after team captain William Ekong inadvertently swept the ball into his own net in the 25th minute, wrong-footing Stanley Nwabali to give the Bafana the lead and great impetus,” the statement noted.

The federation, however, praised Calvin Bassey for his resilience after the Fulham defender grabbed Nigeria’s equaliser just before the break.

“Defender Calvin Bassey showed immense fighting spirit and resilience to get Nigeria back into the game with a minute left of the first period, when he ran with the ball upfront. The ball found Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, whose pull-out Bassey met firmly to nod past Ronwen Williams for the leveller,” the federation added.

But it reserved more criticism for the team’s second-half display.

Despite dominating possession in the second half, the NFF lamented that the Eagles “delivered little,” noting that substitutes Tolu Arokodare and Dele-Bashiru failed to convert late opportunities.

The draw leaves Nigeria with 11 points from eight matches in Group C, while South Africa remain top with 17.

The Super Eagles must now beat Lesotho and Benin Republic in their remaining fixtures and also hope rivals drop points to stand any chance of reaching next year’s World Cup in North America.

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