NFF Warns Against Fake News as Plumptre Denies Exclusion Claim

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has issued a fresh appeal to media owners, journalists, and members of the public to verify information sourced from social media before sharing or amplifying it, amid rising concerns over the spread of fake news targeting the Super Falcons.

The latest warning follows a false report circulated on Tuesday by an online impersonator who claimed that Super Falcons defender Ashley Plumptre was unhappy over her exclusion from Nigeria’s squad for the upcoming Women Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco, scheduled for July 25 to August 16.

Reacting to the development, the NFF’s Director of Competitions, Ruth David, dismissed the report as fabricated, while clarifying that the national team list had not even been released.

READ ALSO: NFF Appeals FIFA Sanctions Over Nigeria-Dr Congo World Cup Playoffs Infractions

“This is totally false. Last year, Ashley Plumptre made a video in which she categorically said that she is NOT on Facebook; that some fellows are impersonating her and that she has tried several times to bring down the page without success. Nothing has changed about her absence from Facebook; the player is not on Facebook and nobody should believe anything that emanates from the cloned account.

“The other issue is that the Coach has not submitted any list of players for the Women AFCON, so the scamster got it all wrong,” she said.

Ruth David further recalled previous incidents in which fake posts were attributed to Super Falcons players, including claims involving striker Esther Okoronkwo, who was wrongly reported to have made statements about national team selection. She clarified that Okoronkwo was only absent from recent friendly matches due to injury.

She also referenced earlier misinformation involving Asisat Oshoala, where false reports claimed the striker had retired from international football.

“We recall that some time ago, there was a report that Asisat Oshoala (a Super Falcons’ striker) said she had retired from international football, which was patently false,” she said.

The NFF urged stronger caution among media practitioners and the public, stressing the importance of fact-checking before sharing unverified content.

“We appeal to well-meaning individuals to double-check whatever news item they see anywhere before escalating the same to other spaces,” the federation said, warning that the spread of misinformation was becoming increasingly damaging to the integrity of sports reporting.

“The incidence of fake news has become overwhelming and it is important that media owners and media workers consistently verify what they push out there for the sake of their own integrity and credibility.”

Meanwhile, Ashley Plumptre also dismissed the viral claims, confirming that she is not on Facebook and warning that impersonators have repeatedly used her identity to scam people online.

“Awful false accounts. I’ve posted on my IG and X for people to report. They are using my identity and scamming people. 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,” she said.