•She smells like a man, Osinachi

By Tony Ubani

Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea would carry Africa’s cross at the 2011 Fifa Women’s World Cup final next June in Germany.
The two countries got their tickets after qualifying for the final of the Africa Women Championship in South Africa where Nigeria’s Falcons beat Equatorial Guinea 4-2 to carry the cup and wear the toga of Africa’s champions.

Salimata

The Falcons have since moved on with an international friendly to be played tomorrow against World Champions, Germany. But some of Nigerian players who surmounted the odds of beating Equatorial Guinea accused them of fielding male players in their squad are yet to come to terms with the alleged mixture of male and female in an otherwise exclusive tourney for females.

Allegations of having males in the Equatorial Guinea team had attracted condemnations from Ghana, South Africa and their Nigerian counterparts.

Two players alleged to be males in the Equatorial Guinea squad include Salimata Simpore and Biliguisa Simpore whose pictures are used.Recounting her experience in the final of the AWC, Osinachi Ohale who had the unwholesome job of checkmating Salimata, the alleged She-male said it was a difficult job. “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”, Osinachi, who plays for Delta Queens of Asaba told Brila in an interview that saw her using ‘him and her’ on the Equatorial Guinea player. Salimata was so strong on the ball and her male features raised outcry among fans and countries.

Despite the many protests from countries, soccer-governing body in Africa, CAF, has remained annoyingly silent to all the hues and cries of investigating all the allegations.

Perhaps, it would take world soccer governing body, FIFA, to determine the gender of the players if they make the Equatorial Guinea team to the World Cup final in Germany. That would be washing Africa’s dirty linen before the world.