Football fans have called on the Nigeria Football Federation to emulate the move by the Brazilian Football Confederation and the English FA and pay national team players the same wages irrespective of gender.

CBF president, Rogerio Caboclo,  announced on Wednesday that Brazil’s men and women’s national teams would be paid equally while the English FA on Thursday revealed that its women’s senior team players were paid the same match fees with their male counterparts since January.

Super Falcons striker, Desire Oparanozie, in 2019 had called for equal pay amongst the senior national teams, which reportedly drew the ire of top football officials.

“It’s high time the NFF follow suit and do the right thing. Brazil and England have led the way by paying women the same amount as the men and I think it is the right way to go. The Falcons have achieved more than the Eagles at the African level. I believe they deserve better treatment,” Ruth Okosodo, a social media marketer,

Rotimi Akinbola, a University of Lagos undergraduate, said, “This is long overdue. The NFF can lead the race in Africa by becoming the first country to implement the equal pay rule.”

Toyin Rafael, a makeup artist, added that the issue of equal pay should have been a thing of the past.

“Grand Slam organisers implemented equal pay for its athletes in the early 2000s. The ladies totally deserve equal pay. Their game might not be as huge as the men’s but we can’t quantify the joy they have brought to our lives over the years, something the men couldn’t do.”