Why US based women’s footballer, Chioma Okafor dumps Malawi , opts to represent Nigeria
The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has confirmed that an USA based women’s footballer Chioma Okafor has chosen to be robed in the Green White Green national colours of Nigeria’s Super Falcons after consultations with her parents.
Chioma, 21 years old, who has a Nigerian father and Malawian mother, plays for the University of Connecticut , her in Nigeria’s final 24-member squad for the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), which kicks off on July 5 in Morocco.
Chioma had refused offers from Malawi’s women’s national team coach Lovemore Fazili who had invited her to join the Scorchers’ training camp prior to their friendly match against Zambia
Her mother, Patricia Jiya Okafor, was quoted in a n viral media interview saying “It’s not me, it was her choice. Nigeria wrote a letter, I didn’t have any say, it was her choice, I told her to choose so that she would not regret in the future, so it came from her.”
Patricia further said “Last year, there was a talk, but it started after one team recognised her in the US, that there is a Malawi player here. So, people “Malawians” said she was not a Malawian by looking at her name, so I told her to make a video and explain that she was born in Malawi, it’s just the name.”
“There have been [stories] in the newspapers that we are putting Chioma to come and play for Malawi. I just heard that one of the coaches approached her to say that she should come to play for Malawi, it was in February, but it was not possible because she was busy at her club.”
According to her , “ we received a letter from Nigeria Football Federation, NFF asking to know more about her, if she played for the Malawi team, and asked if she was involved in the U17, which I said no. She played with Tabitha [Chawinga] way back here in Malawi, but when traveling, she failed to be with the team. The last time she was called was in 2015; she was young then. It was the first time to be called. She had training with the Scorchers.”
“I can’t say, I can’t say anything because it’s not me, it’s them, I don’t want to say anything against anyone, so no, I can’t say anything. All I know is that she trained with them in 2015. In February [2025], they contacted her to come over, but she couldn’t make it. But the Nigerian team they were there asking for her; they are the ones who helped her to get a Nigerian passport. I have never seen it even. They told her to go to Atlanta, she went there and made the passport for her, so you can see how serious they are. They got her passport last month, so they were very interested in her.”
“Chioma has been there; her last visit came in May 2023, when she was training with Bullets. Every day I was the one dropping her at Sports Complex for training, the other day they had a game at Chiwembe [Mpira Stadium], I was there, Walter Nyamilandu [former FAM boss] was there, Adelaide Migogo [Women’s President] was there, everyone was there, they saw her there, it was soon after Chioma left its when one team in US recognised her and it’s when everyone came and I was like Chioma was here, was even at FAM, and people were calling me for interviews, I was like I can’t do anything, she was here. That was when she recorded a video in which she explained that she was a Malawian.”
“Her dad was not even around when she came up with a decision, she asked me, and I told her to do what would make her happy. She thought maybe mom will not be happy if she settles for Nigeria since I have been celebrating her [while] carrying the Malawi flag, so I told her to do what pleases her. That’s when she settled for Nigeria. I never influenced her decision.” Chioma’s mother said.
