The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has dismissed reports claiming that Super Falcons defender Ashley Plumptre expressed frustration over her alleged omission from Nigeria’s squad for the upcoming 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, describing the story as false and misleading.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the federation urged journalists, media organizations, and members of the public to verify information before sharing it, citing the growing spread of fake news on social media platforms.
The controversy stemmed from a Facebook post attributed to Plumptre, in which she was purportedly lamenting her exclusion from Nigeria’s squad for the continental tournament scheduled to take place in Morocco from July 25 to August 16.
Reacting to the claim, NFF Director of Competitions, Ruth David, clarified that the report was fabricated and originated from an impersonation account.
“This is totally false,” David stated. “Ashley Plumptre made it clear last year that she is not on Facebook and that individuals have been impersonating her. She has repeatedly attempted to have the fake accounts removed without success. Therefore, nobody should believe any information coming from those cloned pages.”
David further noted that no official squad has been submitted by the coaching crew for the Women’s AFCON, making the report entirely baseless.
She also recalled similar incidents involving Super Falcons forward Esther Okoronkwo, who was falsely reported to have complained about her exclusion from national team assignments, despite being sidelined by injury at the time. Another fake report had previously claimed that Asisat Oshoala had retired from international football.
The federation reiterated its call for responsible journalism and urged media practitioners to verify information before publication in order to maintain credibility and professionalism.
Plumptre also addressed the issue on Tuesday, condemning the fake accounts and warning fans against falling victim to online scammers.
“Awful false accounts. I’ve posted on my IG and X for people to report. They are using my identity and scamming people,” she said. “I’m currently contacting someone in Saudi Arabia to help me take these accounts down because this has been happening for well over a year now.”
The NFF maintained that the defender remains an important member of the Super Falcons setup and urged the public to rely only on verified sources for information concerning national team players and activities.
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