By Majeed Yaqub.
Confluence Queens football club are at the risk of becoming the first club ever to qualify for the Nigeria Women’s Premier League (NWPL) Super Four tournament and fail to show up for the competition.
The Kogi ladies required a final-day 4-1 triumph at home over debutants Invincible Angels to leapfrog Ibom Angels and clinched the sole ticket to the Super Four tournament as Group D winners.
The qualification feat was the first in seven years for Ogbonda White’s side since finishing third last time out in Abuja in 2012.
Confluence Queens are in a race against time to get the needed fund that would ensure their participation in the women’s league finals billed to be staged from October 29 to November 4 in Lagos.
And sources told our correspondent that they have suffered a setback over the paucity of funds as the club management continues struggling to secure funds to ensure their participation.
Despite plans to adequately prepare the team for the biggest women’s football event, the unavailability of funds might just be the clog in the wheel of the team’s participation.
“I cannot tell you exactly when the team is leaving for Lagos, the management has been doing a lot for this team. They started this preparation over two months ago and since kept the players in camp,” sources revealed.
“The state government have been supportive in helping us get this far, especially through the sports ministry, but the team are still expecting and hoping that they will ensure the team take part in the competition.
“Imagine they have important matches to win the league in a few days and nothing is happening to decide whether they will go or not. It will be by miracle for them to make it because everybody is busy with the campaign for governor’s second term election.”
With the Super Four starting on Monday, only the timely release of funds by the state government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports will save the team from the looming embarrassing position.
