Nigeria coach Eucharia Uche has created a controversy by calling homosexuality as dirty. Although Uche says she has no proof that there are any gay players in the Super Falcons team, in the past she has brought in pentecostal priests to pray and offer her team guidance on the issue.

Before Uche took charge in 2009, players are reported to have been thrown out of the Nigerian side under suspicion of being lesbians, claim Bild.

Nigeria play France in the opening game of the women's World Cup on Sunday and Uche's words put her on a collision course with the sport's governing body FIFA, who want to use football to promote social and cultural understanding.