The chair of the Nigeria Women Football League has reportedly verbalized an official ban of lesbians from Nigerian women’s soccer.  Dilichukwu Onyedinma (pictured), who is also a member of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) executive committee, made the announcement at the Annual General Assembly of the Women’s League body, according to allsports.com.ng. 

While the ban would violate FIFA’s anti-discrimination policies, the illegality of homosexuality under Nigerian law complicates the issue for association football’s international governing body.  

"Any player that we find is associated with [lesbianism] will be disqualified,” Onyedinma said according to MSN.FoxSports.com.  "We will call the club chairmen to control their players and such players will not be able to play for the national team.”

According to a FIFA spokesman, the association has written to the Nigerian FA for clarification of these reports, but emphasized it was a preliminary inquiry.

The Federation of Gay Games, the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation (www.eglsf.info), Football v Homophobia and AllOut (www.allout.org), and other gay rights campaigners said they had written to FIFA president Sepp Blatter about the alleged ban.

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