Nigeria’s Super Falcons defender, Ashleigh Plumptre, has disowned a fake page impersonating her on Facebook to accuse officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) of corruption.
In a post on Monday, the impersonating account claimed that Plumptre has been chalked off the Super Falcons’ squad list for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) because of some “corrupt officials who demanded something” from her.
The account went on to claim that Plumptre would take a “step back” due to the bribery demand.
The impersonating Facebook page is currently verified and has over 2000 followers, with many reacting to the accusatory post about the NFF officials.
On Tuesday, Plumptre took to her official Instagram page, which has over 130,000 followers, to distance herself from the impersonating Facebook account.
The 28-year-old then called on fans to help report the Facebook account to the platform’s authorities so it could be taken down.
Plumptre was born in Leicester, England, but opted to play for the Falcons in 2021 because of his Nigerian grandfather.
She was one of the best performers when the Falcons won their 10th WAFCON title in 2025.
Meanwhile, NFF has dismissed as false reports circulating on social media that Super Falcons defender Ashley Plumptre had complained about being omitted from Nigeria’s squad for the forthcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the federation condemned the spread of misinformation and renewed its call on journalists, media organisations and members of the public to verify information before sharing or publishing it.
The controversy arose after a Facebook post, allegedly attributed to Plumptre, claimed the defender had expressed frustration over her purported exclusion from Nigeria’s squad for the 2026 WAFCON tournament in Morocco, scheduled to take place from 25 July to 16 August.
However, the NFF described the report as entirely fabricated.
NFF Director of Competitions, Ruth David, clarified that Plumptre does not operate a Facebook account and has repeatedly warned the public about impersonators using her identity online.
“This is totally false,” David said.
“Last year, Ashley Plumptre released a video in which she categorically stated that she is not on Facebook and that some individuals have been impersonating her. She has made several attempts to have the fake page removed without success.
“Nothing has changed regarding her absence from Facebook. The player is not on the platform, and nobody should believe anything coming from the cloned account.”
David further noted that the claim was flawed because the Super Falcons’ coaching crew had not yet submitted a final squad list for the continental tournament.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
