Super Falcons camp hit by theft allegations ahead of WAFCON opener

Super Falcons forward Esther Okoronkwo has alleged that she and several of her teammates were victims of theft while staying at the Marriott Hotel in Casablanca, Morocco, during Nigeria's preparations for the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

The Nigerian international made the claims through a series of posts on her Snapchat account, alleging that cash was stolen from players' wallets while they were away from their rooms.

Initially, the AFC Toronto forward reported that $500 had been stolen from her wallet before later revising the figure after recounting her money.

"This hotel Marriott in Casablanca just stole about a lot of people's money from their wallet! They just stole 500 USD from me!! They stole couple of dollars from my teammate," Okoronkwo wrote.

She later updated the amount in another post. "Guys, I did my calculations wrong. They actually stole $700, not $500 USD," she said.

Okoronkwo alleged that the theft occurred while the players were away from their rooms, accusing members of the hotel's housekeeping staff of taking the cash.

She added, "The cleaning people stole the money. So they waited while we weren't in the room to clean and steal the money.

"We started talking to them and they don't have answers. They also started being disrespectful."

Despite the reported incident, the Super Falcons have continued preparations for the 2026 WAFCON in Morocco.

Coach Justine Madugu's side received a morale boost on Thursday with a 2-1 victory over Tanzania's Twiga Stars in a pre-tournament friendly, with Okoronkwo scoring the winning goal.

Nigeria, the record 10-time African champions, will begin their title defence against tournament debutants Malawi on Tuesday at the Al Madina Stadium in Rabat.

The Super Falcons will also face Zambia and Egypt in Group C as they bid to win a record-extending 11th Women's Africa Cup of Nations title.