Nigeria, June 24 -- Patricia Okafor, the mother of U.S.-based footballer Chioma Okafor, has opened up about her daughter's recent decision to represent Nigeria rather than Malawi, the country of her birth.

"It's not me, it was her choice. Nigeria wrote a letter, I didn't have any say, it was her choice," Mrs. Okafor said in an exclusive interview with BolaNews (A Zambian Football outlet). "I told her to choose so that she would not regret it in the future, so it came from her."

Chioma, 21, was born in Malawi to a Malawian mother and Nigerian father.

She currently plays for the University of Connecticut in the United States. She has been included in Nigeria's 24-player squad for the 2025 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), which kic...