The result, to say the least, was humiliating for a country of Nigeria's stature. We are not talking of a team who are minnows in female football in Africa but Africa's supposedly strongest side. A team that has won a record 7 Africa Women Championship titles.
It is interesting to note that this team is playing her first competitive game since winning the Africa Women's Cup of Nations hosted by Cameroun in 2016. This is a sad indicator why the team played so poorly against France.
I am sure this is not the case with the French but the fact that for a whole year, the Super Falcons did not play even a single friendly match even if it's against inferior opposition to keep the ladies in sync with each other is a serious indictment on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
NFF chairman, Amaju Pinnick, was full of apology for the humbling result on Twitter citing 'unintentional neglect' being the main reason for the embarrassment.
This result equals Nigeria's 2 worst defeats in female football history for the Falcons. In those games, Nigeria lost to Norway and the USA by the same score line.
The continued lack of interest in developing and promoting female football in the country and consolidating on the achievements of our female national teams in the past is the reason why teams like Cameroun, South Africa, Ghana and Equitorial Guinea have caught up with the Super Falcons and probably even surpassed them.
There was a time, Nigeria could roll out two different Falcons teams to play in different competitions almost simultaneously. A case in point was when Nigeria hosted the All Africa games and had to send a team to the women's World Cup as well. We comfortably fielded a Team B that defeated South Africa in the All Africa games final thus winning the gold medal while the Team A who were the main squad went ahead to play in the World Cup.
Gone are the days. It would be nothing short of the miraculous if Nigeria can produce 2 senior teams that would match the quality of players we had then. There is no production line to churn out players for the national team anymore because the female league is in a shambles.
There is hardly any coverage in the media of female football and of course there are very few women clubs and teams available these days. This is probably due to the harsh economic climate in the country which makes it extremely difficult if not impossible for philanthropists to run female clubs. State governments who run many of the teams in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) are probably not willing to add to the wage bill by owning female teams as well.
Things though have to change if we want genuine success for our female national team.
When the Super Falcons started making an impact at the world stage it was because we took steps that yielded results. We had a vibrant female league that had our best players such as Mercy Akide, Florence Omagbemi, Ann Agumanu Chiejine, Patience Avre and others playing in our league in teams like Jegede Babes, Pelican Stars and Rivers Angels.
Our modest success in the World Cup hosted by the USA in 1999 opened the eyes of clubs all around the world to the quality of players Nigeria could produce and so they started signing these players.
What could have been an opportunity for Nigeria to develop our women's league and produce more talented players proved the beginning of the end as gradually we have stopped producing these top class players who will give France, Brazil, Spain, Germany or the USA a run for the money.
The NFF has done well in organising the friendly with France. There should be more of this sort in future as we prepare for the African Women's Cup of Nations. The NFF earlier in the year hired a Swede, Thomas Dennerby to take charge of the team. The team's battering by France was his baptism of fire. He must begin to realise the work on his hands now.
The women's league has to be made vibrant again. The league doesn't have to be a long season or have many teams. An 8-12 team league won't be bad for starters.
The NFF also needs to find a way to rekindle interest in female football in the country even though it is struggling to do so for their male counterparts. There has to be a sponsor for the league with broadcast rights sold to interested media houses who will show the games on TV.
Clubs and organisations who have an interest in registering female teams should also be encouraged to do so even if it is at an amateur level. The money the NFF can get from the sponsors of the league or any competition can help many a team stay afloat and grow when they receive substantial sums for their participation every year.
The current NFF regime has shown a level of leadership, vision and professionalism never seen before. If they can extend these traits to women's football in Nigeria then posterity will judge them favourably.
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