Former Super Falcons coach, Ismalia Mabo has expressed his displeasure at the Aisha Falode led women football arm of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) following the Falconets’ road trip from their camp in Abuja to Benin City for today’s under-20 World Cup qualifier against Tanzania.

Speaking to the Guardian, Mabo explained that “there are laid down rules and regulations by FIFA concerning the movement of teams for national assignments,”

Ismaila Mabo led the Super Falcons to the FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinals in 1999 and also won the African Women Cup of Nations for Nigeria.

He continued: “How come Falode who is the head of women football in the country allowed such thing to happen to the Falconets? I think FIFA’s rule says that any distance of more than 30 km, the teams have to travel by air and not by road.”

“It is not fair for the NFF to treat the players and their coaches in such a way. If they don’t have the fund, why not allow the team to play the qualifiers in Abuja instead of such tortuous road trip to Benin City?”

“And since Edo State government is hosting the match, Falode should have made it clear in her proposal to the governor that the team should be airlifted and not to travel such long distance by road.”

Nigeria’s national under-20 women football team host Tanzania today in CAF’s first-round qualifier for the France 2018 U-20 World Cup.