Sport&Style THE NATION
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2012
FAMILY STROLL Persie, wife and daughter wear matching coats
PAGE 35
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Lawal flaunts tattoos like Beckham
TO THRILL
Swimsuit model Kate Upton disappoints fans in a voluminous white blouse
IAIN NELSON OPENS UP
Why l love
Nigerian
women,
Isi Ewu By Taiwo Alimi
T
Nelsen Photo by: BOLA OMILABU
HE story of women football in Nigeria will not be completed without making reference to the profound and inspiring role played by catch-em-young Scot, Iain Nelson, former Marketing Manager for 7up Bottling Company. That the big gun, who is behind the success story of Pepsi Football Academy, has a bonded relationship with Nigerian women is not in doubt. So when he says Nigerian women are creative, courageous and enterprising you better believe it. In an exclusive interview with Nelson, at the Ijora office of the 7Up Bottling Company, the consultant to Pepsi Football Academy, disclosed his close affinity with Nigerian women footballers and how he helped build what is today one of the strongest female teams in the world from the scratch. “I 1998, l remember sitting in an empty stadium in Kaduna for the very first match of the African Women Championship and wondering if l have done the right thing. But at the end of the day, everything went well, the crowd came and Nigeria won and l said wow, we are truly on the right path. From then on l created a good rapport, a relationship with the girls and regularly meet with them. I encouraged them to act like superstars, which they are. I encouraged them to appear on television, do interviews wearing Pepsi shirt. The likes of Patience Avre, Mercy Akide, Florence Omagbemi, Stella Mbachu and Perpetua Nkwocha were given
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