Esther Okoronkwo Reports Theft During WAFCON Stay
In a troubling incident that has marred the preparations of the Super Falcons for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Casablanca, Morocco, midfielder Esther Okoronkwo has publicly accused the Marriott Hotel staff of stealing a significant amount of money from her wallet. Initially, Okoronkwo reported a theft of $500, but upon further review, she corrected the figure to $700, indicating that the theft had affected not only her but also several of her teammates, who reported similar losses.
Through a series of posts on her Snapchat account, Okoronkwo detailed her distress over the situation, expressing disbelief and frustration at the alleged misconduct. She stated, "This hotel Marriott in Casablanca just stole about a lot of people’s money from their wallet! They just stole 500 USD from me!! They stole a couple of dollars from my teammate," highlighting the collective experience of theft among the players. The forward later updated her account to reflect the true amount stolen, reinforcing the gravity of the situation.
According to Okoronkwo, the theft occurred while the players were out of their rooms, suggesting that the hotel’s housekeeping staff might have been involved. She asserted, "The cleaning people stole the money. So they waited while we weren’t in the room to clean and steal the money," which raises concerns about the security protocols in place at the hotel.
After confronting the hotel staff regarding the missing funds, Okoronkwo reported a lack of satisfactory responses, describing the interaction as disrespectful, which only added to the players’ frustration. Despite this disruption, the Super Falcons have shown resilience, continuing their preparations for the tournament. Notably, they secured a 2-1 victory over Tanzania in a recent friendly match, with Okoronkwo contributing significantly by scoring the winning goal.
The Super Falcons are set to begin their WAFCON campaign against Malawi at the Al Madina Stadium in Rabat, followed by matches against Zambia and Egypt in Group C. As the reigning champions, having won the title ten times, they are eager to extend their record with an eleventh victory in this prestigious tournament.
As reported by punchng.com.
