Vera Okolo

{{short description|Nigerian footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}} {{Use Nigerian English|date=August 2019}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Vera Okolo | image = | fullname = Vera Okolo | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1985|1|5}} | birth_place = Nigeria | height = {{height|cm=161}} | currentclub = | clubnumber = | position = | nationalyears1 = | nationalteam1 = Nigeria | nationalcaps1 = | nationalgoals1 = | ntupdate = }}

'''Vera Okolo''' (born 5 January 1985) is a Nigerian footballer who plays for the Nigeria women's national football team. She played for the Delta Queens in the Nigerian Women's Championship.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200418050615/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ok/vera-okolo-1.html Vera Okolo], Sports Reference, Retrieved 2 February 2016</ref>

==Playing career== ===International=== Okolo was put forward for the team at the 2004 Olympics by coach Isamaila Mabo. After the matches she was nominated to be African Women's Footballer of the Year but the award was eventually given to Perpetua Nkwocha.<ref name=bbc>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/7152554.stm Okolo seeks help for injury], Oluwashina Okeleji, December 2007, BBC, Retrieved 2 February 2016</ref>

She played in Algiers in 2007 and scored the game-winning goal. Okolo was amongst the team who refused to return from Algiers until they were paid. They had been promised money when they returned to Nigeria, but they had learned from experience that such promises would be broken. Each team member was eventually paid $1m Nigerian by the President.<ref>[http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/11/vera-okolo-my-father-disowned-me-for-playing-football/ Vera Okolo], Vanguardngr.com, Retrieved 2 February 2016</ref>

Okolo was involved in a dispute with the Nigerian Football Association following her injury in 2007 whilst playing for her country. She wanted an operation in Germany but there was a dispute about who would pay for it.<ref name=bbc/>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{FIFA_player|201288}} {{Navboxes | title = Nigeria squads | bg = #008751 | fg = white | list1 = {{Nigeria Squad 2003 Women's World Cup}} {{Nigeria women's football squad 2004 Summer Olympics}} }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okolo, Vera}} Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:Nigerian women's footballers Category:21st-century Nigerian sportswomen Category:Nigeria women's international footballers Category:Footballers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic footballers for Nigeria Category:2003 FIFA Women's World Cup players Category:Women's association football forwards Category:Delta Queens F.C. players Category:Place of birth missing (living people)