AFCON trophy still with us, not with Buhari —Falcons •Players plan protest to Presidential Villa today

Sit-in protesting African champions, Super Falcons have said there is no truth in the report that President Muhammadu Buhari has been handed the African Women’s title won recently in Cameroon.

One of the players told Supersport.com that the trophy still remains firmly in the Falcons’ custody.

“We want to state as baseless the report that the president has received the AWCON trophy, the trophy is intact and very much with us,” the unnamed player told Supersport.com.

For 10 days running Falcons have been holding out at their hotel in Abuja refusing the entreaties of the NFF for them to go home as there is no sufficient fund to pay up their AWCON entitlements.

The players insist they will stay put until  they are fully paid all entitlements.

“We have vowed not go back home without getting the last dime we are owed.

The money in question is what we have worked for.

“Once we are paid we will quietly vacate the hotel and head straight home. None of us has left the hotel except the few foreign-based players whose league seasons are still on.”

The Falcons recently won the Africa Women’s  Cup of Nations (AWCON) title for a record eighth time after beating host country, Cameroon in the final by a lone goal scored by Desire Oparanozie.

Meanwhile, the Falcons will take their protest to a new level today when they file out to the Presidential Villa to press home the payment of their entitlements.

According to Aderonke Bello, a journalist and advocate, the protest, with the take-off point as the Agura Hotel, Abuja at 8.am, is to emphasise the poor treatment of the Falcons.

“We are going to protest the unfair treatment meted out to these champions…we hope the Federal Government will listen to their plea,” Bello, who says she will lead the protest, wrote on her Facebook wall on Tuesday.