The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for rewarding the Super Falcons following their victory at the just-concluded Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), while also calling for greater recognition and reward for coaches.

Delivering a sermon during the church’s Thanksgiving Sunday service themed “The Winning Team”, Pastor Adeboye praised the Super Falcons’ performance and commended the president’s gesture of gifting the players houses and monetary rewards.

He, however, emphasized that the team’s success would not have been possible without the input of their coaches.

“Victory is sweet and rewarding,” he said. “My coach, when I was a boxer, used to say it is not good to take part in sporting competitions without winning. It is good to be a winner.”

Reflecting on his sporting background, the 83-year-old cleric noted that during his youth, athletes were only given handshakes, not material rewards.

While he said he was not surprised by the president’s generosity toward the Super Falcons, he stressed that coaches deserve equal, if not more, recognition for their behind-the-scenes work.

“I was not surprised when the president gave the Super Falcons houses and a huge amount of money, but without the coaches, the team would not have succeeded,” he said. “I don’t want to get into controversy, but the players ought not to earn more than the coaches. The technical officials didn’t do less than the footballers.”

Quoting Proverbs 4:7, Pastor Adeboye emphasized the importance of wisdom in achieving success, both in sports and in life. “You need a coach to win; coaches have the knowledge and wisdom required to win. If you don’t know how to win, you will lose.”

He further stated, “No matter how good the players are, if the coaches don’t tell them how to win, they might not be able to do much. It is the technical inputs of the tacticians that win games.”

Concluding his message, Pastor Adeboye said, “To be a part of the winning team in life, you must know how to win. You need wisdom. Wisdom is better than strength.”