Super Falcons Visit Injured Banyana Banyana Winger in Hospital
*Pray for her quick recovery, present signed Nigeria Jersey to the winger
Duro Ikhazuagbe
In a show of true sportsmanship, some of Nigeria’s Super Falcons players put aside celebration of qualifying for the final of the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations to pay visit to injured South African player, Gabriela Salgado at the Mohamed VI Hospital in Casablanca, Morocco yesterday.
Banyana Banyana’s Salgado copped a horrific fracture in a collision with Super Falcons forward, Chinwendu Ihezuo, during Tuesday evening’s semifinal clash between the cup holders and Nigeria. Salgado was stretchered off the pitch with a suspected fractured leg.
The operation carried out yesterday at the Mohamed VI Hospital, was performed to address a mid-shaft fracture of her left leg, an injury which will unfortunately sideline her for the remainder of the year.
But the Nigerian ladies who are in quest of a 10th WAFCON title in Morocco, yesterday visited Salgado shortly after the successful surgery to wish her quick recovery.
Before leaving her hospital bedside, the Super Falcons presented her with a signed Nigerian jersey and prayed for her to bounce back to full recovery.
The visit of the Nigerians to the injured player was not lost on the South Africans as utility player, Lebohang Ramalepe, lauded the behaviour of the Super Falcons.
Ramalepe told Soccernet.ng that the sportsmanship displayed by the Super Falcons was exceptional.
“Yeah, it’s their team spirit, after all, we’re all friends,” she told Soccernet.ng. “In the field of play, we just have to fight against each other, but you know, when something like that happens, we just have to be there for one another.
“I think what they did was just really great,” Ramalepe stressed of the solidarity that Salgado received from the Nigerian players like Michelle Alozie, Rasheedat Ajibade and Ashleigh Plumptre who joined their South African counterparts in solidarity as the injured player was being stretchered off the pitch.
South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, was amongst earliest social media users to wish Salgado quick recovery yesterday.
