With their husbands’ eyes and souls glued to the TV as a football match is played, Nigerian wives have had to battle for their men’s attention.

Gloria Ndubuisi, a lawyer and mother of four, said her husband watches football passionately as if his life depends on it.

“At the beginning of our marriage, it caused lots of problems. Sometimes, when there’s a power outage, he would fuel the generator with a part of the children’s school fees to watch a match, and I will be bitter,” said Ms Ndubuisi. “There was even a time he slapped our eldest daughter for changing the channel to Zee world. It was a horrible experience.”

Funmi Adekunle, a businesswoman and mother of two, admitted she had no choice but to love football because her husband was obsessed with the game. She did so to avoid conflict in her home.

“My husband is more than a football lover. I decided to join him and be a football fan rather than fighting with him over the television remote,” she said.

Theresa Adelusi, an agricultural engineer and mother of four, said her husband loved football after God.

“Sometimes I wonder how rich he would be if he got paid for his dedication, and my question, why should the result of a football team determine a happy moment in my household?” explained Ms Adelusi.

Catherine Bamgbose, a mother of one, noted that her husband gave much attention to football and hated being disturbed when watching football.

“He loves football to the extent that he won’t eat for hours if his favourite club, Barcelona, loses,” she said.

Lynda Essien, a businesswoman and a mother of one, mentioned that her husband hated it when someone changed the channel while watching a football match.

“I remember a time my husband’s favourite club Chelsea lost a match. He heard this from the commentary on the radio, and we almost had an accident that day,” stated Martha Orakwe, a teacher and a mother of six.

However, some men argued that watching football helped ease their stress and temporarily made them forget their daily challenges.

“As a man, there are lots of challenges we face daily, but the thought of watching your club play brings excitement; I don’t think men do this thing to spite their wives,” said Sola Adeleke, a civil servant.

Ikenna Ofem added that the battle for the TV remote when he watched his favourite club play made him buy a dual-view decoder.

“It was expensive getting another TV and running the whole package, but it was worth it. It was almost becoming a tug of war in my household,” explained Mr Ofem.

(NAN)