January 04, (THEWILL) – Former England youth international Ashleigh Plumptre has received permission to swap her allegiance to Nigeria’s Super Falcons.
By reason of her father’s Nigerian origin, the 23-year-old defender, who plays for Leicester City in the English Women’s Super League, is eligible to represent the African women’s football powerhouse.
She has now been cleared by FIFA, and after joining the Super Falcons’ training camps in Austria and Abuja, she is fully eligible for Nigeria’s tense 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations play-off against Ivory Coast in February.
“We are happy to receive Ashleigh’s official clearance from FIFA,” Ademola Olajire, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Director of Communications said of the approval as he praised her for her resilience to the process.
“It was only possible because of her commitment and dedication. She made the Federation’s work a lot easier by providing all the requirements in quick time.
“Ashleigh personally approached the English FA directly to get the required international clearance from that end.
“Her professionalism and unflinching desire to play for Nigeria is honestly heart-warming. That big move on her part obviously helped a lot and prevented the long wait for the FA’s response.”
Plumptre spent three months obtaining all of the necessary documents, including a Nigerian passport and her grandfather’s documents, before officially asking clearance from the four home nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales).
She also needed to acquire some necessary documentation from the Nigerian internal affairs body, which she endeavoured to fulfill in good time as well.
This was inspiring to Olajire, who remarked: “She got all the documents in a few months without being forced or persuaded. We’ve been through this FIFA process with other players in the past and others needed to be reminded. Ashleigh made personal sacrifices to ensure a smooth clearance.”
Plumptre joins a growing number of foreign-born players who have chosen to play for the nine-time African champions, including Michelle Alozie, Patricia George, Nicole and Toni Payne.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
