Uche Eucharia Ngozi (born 18 June 1973 in Mbaise, Imo State, Nigeria) is a former Nigerian football player and a former head coach of the Nigeria women's national football team. She has served as both the first female assistant coach and also the first female head coach of Nigeria's national women's team. She is currently a FIFA and Confederation of African Football instructor. Uche grew up in Owerri, Nigeria.
Early life The first of five children, she was brought up in a middle-class environment. She attended the Egbu Girls Secondary School Owerri, before heading to Delta State University. While in secondary school, Uche began playing football. In her playing days, she played for Bendel Striking Queens, present-day Edo Queens, Rivers Angels, and Ufuoma Babes, present-day Delta Queens. She later played for the Nigerian National team Super Falcons. In her playing days, she became the first African female to be named Top Scorer in an international match, as well as the first Nigerian female to score an international hat-trick, Nigeria vs Ghana 1999. She went on and became their first female coach. In 2010, she became the first woman coach to win an African Women's Championship title.The tactician hopes to emerge as the second female trainer to lead any women side to win the Africa Women's Cup of Nations by overcoming the hosts on Saturday in Yaounde "uche first woman to win second". Goal.com She was sacked in October 2011 after Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics.Eucharia Uche, Super Falcons coach, sacked. OnlineNigeria News
Controversy Uche was cautioned by FIFA for remarks she made during the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, in which she called homosexuality a "concerning issue" that affected the seriousness of her players.Longman, Jere. "In African Women’s Soccer, Homophobia Remains an Obstacle." New York Times, 21 June 2011.
Honours Nigeria Coach African Women's Championship Winner (2): 2010, 2000 (as Assistant Coach)
Club Coach Nigeria Women Football League Winner (1): 2003 Nigeria Women's Cup Winner (2): 2004, 2006
References
External links
Official Website of the Nigeria Football Federation Nigeria at the FIFA website. Nigeria at CAF Online