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Tag: Women AFCON

  • Super Falcons unfazed with loss to South Africa – Coach Waldrum

    The coach of the Super Falcons  of Nigeria Randy Waldrum has  posited that his team is not really bothered about the 1-2 loss to the Bayana Bayana of South Africa at the 2022 Women AFCON presently ongoing in Morocco.

    Waldrum made this statement after the loss to South Africa in Morocco.

    The Super Falcons came into the game against South Africa as favorites, having won the competition more than any other nation on the continent.

    Banyana Banyana however scored twice in two minutes thanks to Jermaine Seoposenwe and Hilda Magaia goals in the 60th and 62nd minutes to destabilize their opponents, who were caught off-guard by the quick firing South Africans.

    The Super Falcons eventually found a goal in the first minute of added time, thanks to an incredible finish by Rasheedat Ajibade, but it was too late as South Africa reorganized themselves and bagged the three points.

    Waldrum told newsmen during his post-match conference that his team was in good spirit, inspite of the loss, adding that they intend to go back to the drawing board and work on all their mistakes.

    “Inspite of the loss, we are still positive in camp. It is obviously the first game of the tournament so we have to go back and regroup.

    “We have to increase our urgency in the fighting spirit because we are encouraged by it.

    “We have to play the way we played in the last 10-15 minutes so that we get going,” Waldrum said.

    Botswana now top Group C with three points and a superior goal difference of +3 after thrashing Burundi 4-1 in their opening game.

    South Africa are second also with three points and a goal difference of +1 ahead of their next game against bottom-placed side Burundi on Thursday.

    While Nigeria currently in third take on Botswana on the same day at 8 p.m.

  • Morocco 2022: Pinnick charges Super Falcons to go all out for La Decima

    President of the Nigeria Football Federation and FIFA Council Member, Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick has told the Super Falcons of Nigeria to bulldoze their way to a 10th African title when they participate in the 12th Women Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco next month.

     Pinnick spoke on Sunday night while hosting the nine-time champions to a special dinner at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

     “There is not much for me tell you about the need to go all out there and conquer; it is something you are used to because you have the spirit, the energy and the aura of champions. You have won this trophy nine times out of 11 and you have to go for the 10th with equal passion and desire.

     “Surely, there will be teams that would believe they can topple you from your throne; from your position as champions. I have no doubt that you have the capacity to deal with every opposition and emerge champions once more.”

     Pinnick’s dinner guests included NFF Executive Committee Member and Chairman of the Nigeria Women Football League, Ms Aisha Falode; Head Coach Randy Waldrum and his assistants; 25 players and; Super Falcons’ backroom staff.

     Meanwhile, the Super Falcons’ contingent has landed in Casablanca, and already moved to Morocco’s administrative capital, Rabat where the team will camp for seven days before their crunch opening match of Group C against South Africa’s Banyana Banyana in the same city on Monday, 4th July.

     The Falcons will also play Botswana (Thursday, 7th July) and Burundi (Sunday, 10th July) in the group phase.

     All four semi-finalists in Morocco will qualify to represent Africa at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia & New Zealand next year, with the fifth-placed team handed an opportunity to also gain a place through a Playoff Tournament taking place early next year.

     

     

  •  Women AFCON: Super Falcons begin camping in Abuja

    Cup holders Nigeria have commenced a training camp at the country’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja ahead of next month’s 12th Women Africa Cup of Nations finals holding in Morocco.

    July’s colourful houseparty in the North African kingdom is expected to generate greater media and global public interest than ever, with the exponential rise in the stature of women’s football helped by the tremendous gains of the last Women’s World Cup in France, robust deliberations on pay parity (with the men) and FIFA’s decision to hike the number of participating teams at next year’s Women’s World Cup finals to 32 – same as for the men’s World Cup.

    Head Coach Randy Waldrum and assistants have the interesting challenge of quality and quantity of players – a useful blend of the old guard, talented youngsters from the home front and a number of skillful foreign-born stars who have been holding their own brilliantly.

    As at Friday morning, there were 19 players in camp, including captain Onome Ebi, alongside goalkeepers Chiamaka Nnadozie and Tochukwu Oluehi, defenders Osinachi Ohale and Akudo Ogbonna, midfielders Rita Chikwelu and Rasheedat Ajibade, and forwards Francisca Ordega, Asisat Oshoala and Gift Monday.

    US –based goalkeeper Yewande Balogun, defender Michelle Alozie and midfielders Amanda Mbadi and Toni Payne were being expected in camp on Friday.

    Forwards Desire Oparanozie and Uchenna Kanu, as well as midfielder Regina Otu and US –based defender Nicole Payne will arrive in Abuja by the weekend.

    England –based defender Ashleigh Plumptre, midfielder Halimatu Ayinde and forwards Francisca Ordega, Vivian Ikechukwu and Ifeoma Onumonu are to join the squad in Morocco next week.

    Nigeria, who have won nine of the 11 Women Africa Cup of Nations championships held so far, bundled out Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire in the qualifying series and will play South Africa, Botswana and Burundi in the group stages in Morocco. They go up against the Banyana Banyana in their first match at the Prince Heritier Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat on Monday, 4th July, before matches against Botswana (Thursday, 7th July) and Burundi (Sunday, 10th July) at the same venue.

    All four semi finalists at the tournament in Morocco will qualify to represent Africa at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand in the summer of 2023.

    ALREADY IN CAMP: Onome Ebi, Rita Chikwelu, Osinachi Ohale, Tochukwu Oluehi, Glory Ogbonna, Asisat Oshoala, Rasheedat Ajibade, Chiamaka Nnadozie, Chidinma Okeke, Rita Akarekor, Gift Monday, Opeyemi Sunday, Charity Adule, Christy Ucheibe, Suliat Abideen, Chinonyerem Macleans, Peace Efih, Ugochi Emenayo, Akudo Ogbonna

    EXPECTED FRIDAY: Yewande Balogun, Toni Oyedupe Payne, Michelle Alozie, Amanda Uju Mbadi

    EXPECTED BY WEEKEND: Nicole Payne, Uchenna Kanu, Desire Oparanozie, Regina Otu

    TO JOIN TEAM IN MOROCCO: Ashleigh Plumptre, Francisca Ordega, Vivian Ikechukwu, Halimatu Ayinde, Ifeoma Onumonu

  • Waldrum calls Ebi, Oshoala, Ordega, 29 others to Women AFCON camp in Morocco

    Waldrum calls Ebi, Oshoala, Ordega, 29 others to Women AFCON camp in Morocco

    Head Coach Randy Waldrum has invited 32 players to the camp of the Super Falcons as the Cup holders get set for a two-week training camp in Morocco ahead of the 12th Women Africa Cup of Nations holding in that country, 2nd – 23rd July.

     

    Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, defender and captain Onome Ebi, midfielders Rasheedat Ajibade and Toni Payne, and forwards Francisca Ordega, Desire Oparanozie and Asisat Oshoala are among those called to the two-week intensive training programme.

     

    Thenff.com learnt that the training camp will start on 18th June in the North African kingdom, with all players already advised to arrive in Rabat on 17th June.

     

    Nine –time champions Nigeria will play in Group C of the 12-team tournament alongside South Africa’s Banyana Banyana, Botswana and Burundi. Nigeria’s first match of the competition, at which Africa’s four flagbearers to next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will emerge, is against the Banyana at the Complexe Sportif Prince Abdellah in Rabat on 4th July.

     

    SUPER FALCONS FOR TRAINING CAMP IN MOROCCO:

    Goalkeepers: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC, France); Tochukwu Oluehi (Maccabi Kishronot Hadera, Israel); Rita Akarekor (Nasarawa Amazons); Yewande Balogun (Coppermine United, USA)

     

    Defenders: Opeyemi Sunday (Edo Queens); Glory Ogbonna (Santa Teresa FC, Spain); Onome Ebi (En Avant Guingamp, France); Osinachi Ohale (Deportivo Alaves, Spain); Ugochi Emenayo (Konak Belediyespor Izmir, Turkey); Ashleigh Plumptre (Leicester City, England); Nicole Payne (West Virginia University, USA); Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash, USA); Akudo Ogbonna (Edo Queens)

     

    Midfielders: Peace Efih (Kiryat Gat, Israel); Amanda Uju Mbadi (Atasehir Belediyespor, Turkey); Halimatu Ayinde (Eskilstuna FC, Sweden); Charity Adule (Deportivo La Coruna, Spain); Toni Oyedupe Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain); Regina Otu (Minsk FC, Belarus); Christy Ucheibe (SL Benfica, Portugal); Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid, Spain); Rita Chikwelu (Madrid CFF, Spain); Suliat Abideen (Edo Queens)

     

    Forwards: Anam Imo (Pitea IF, Sweden); Francisca Ordega (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Desire Oparanozie (Wuhan Chegu Jianghan, China); Vivian Ikechukwu (WFC Gintra, Lithuania); Chinonyerem Macleans (GSK Gornik Leczna, Poland); Chinwendu Ihezuo (Meizhou Hakka Club, China); Ifeoma Onumonu (NY/NJ Gotham FC, USA); Uchenna Kanu (Tigres Femenil, Mexico); Asisat Oshoala (FC Barcelona, Spain)

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  • Super Falcons to know Women AFCON group opponents on April 25

    Super Falcons to know Women AFCON group opponents on April 25

    Nine –time champions Nigeria will know their group phase opponents at the 12th Women Africa Cup of Nations when the draw is staged on Monday, 25th April 2022.

    Goals by new birds Ifeoma Onumonu and Esther Okoronkwo steered the Super Falcons to a 3-0 aggregate win over Cote d’Ivoire in the final round of the qualifiers in February. In the earlier round, forward Uchenna Kanu scored both goals in Lagos to lift the Falcons past the Black Queens of Ghana, who won the return leg 1-0 in Accra.

    Nigeria won the first edition of the Women Africa Cup of Nations (then known as African Women Championship) staged in the country in 1998, and has won seven other championships. The only times the Super Falcons did not emerge victorious in the history of the competition were when the tournaments were staged in Equatorial Guinea, in 2008 and 2012.

    This year’s tournament in Morocco, 2nd – 23rd July comes with added impetus as the four semi finalists will represent Africa at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Australia/New Zealand.

    The 12 teams that have qualified to play at the 12th Women Africa Cup of Nations are: Morocco, Nigeria, Uganda, Burundi, Zambia, Togo, Senegal, Tunisia, Botswana, Cameroon, South Africa, Burkina Faso.

    They will be divided into four groups of three teams each.

  • Cup holders Nigeria seek spot at Morocco 2022 Women AFCON finals

    Cup holders Nigeria seek spot at Morocco 2022 Women AFCON finals

    Nine –time champions and Cup holders Nigeria say they are battle-ready as the stage is set for Friday’s 2022 Women Africa Cup of Nations final qualifying round encounter against the Lady Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in Abuja.

     

    A narrow 2-1 aggregate win over Ghana’s Black Queens saw the Super Falcons to this stage, where they face high-scoring Lady Elephants who mauled their counterparts from Niger Republic 20-0 on aggregate in the previous round. The Lady Elephants contingent arrived in Nigeria on Monday night.

     

    Most of the players invited by Coach Randy Waldrum have been at a training camp in Abuja, and Waldrum says the girls are fully aware of the importance of the big match.

     

    “Every player in camp is aware of the high importance of these two matches against Cote d’Ivoire. We must win to get to the Women AFCON where the African teams for the FIFA Women’s World Cup will emerge. It is one step at a time, but we all know that we must win well in Abuja on Friday.”

     

    Friday’s encounter, which kicks off at 4pm, is the first game the Super Falcons will play at the MKO Abiola Stadium since defeating their Senegalese counterparts 2-0 in April 2016, in the final qualifying round of the 10th Women AFCON finals held in Cameroon.

     

    Veteran defender Onome Ebi said the Nigerian girls are highly motivated for the encounter on several fronts, including reaching Morocco 2022 to defend their continental crown, having the opportunity to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup and avenging a bitter loss to the Ivorians in the qualifying race for the 2020 Olympic Women’s Football Tournament.

     

    “These two matches are going to be tough; they would be like the Final of the Women AFCON itself. The Ivorians stopped us from the race to the Olympics. We also know that it is by being in Morocco that we can defend our crown and also qualify for the Women’s World Cup. We are battle –ready.”

     

    The 12-team 12th Women AFCON finals, which hold in Morocco 2nd – 23rd July, will see all four semi-finalists qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. It is the first Women’s World Cup to entertain 32 teams – same number as the men’s finals.

     

    Hosts Morocco and Uganda, who reached the finals following the withdrawal of Kenya, have already qualified, leaving 10 teams to emerge from a 20-team final round that begins on Wednesday this week and will be concluded on Wednesday next week.

     

    After their encounter in Abuja on Friday, the Super Falcons and the Lady Elephants have a potentially –explosive final leg duel inside the Stade Robert Champroux in Abidjan on Wednesday next week.

     

    ALL THE MATCHES

     

    Wednesday 16 February: Burundi Vs Djibouti; Zambia Vs Namibia; Guinea-Bissau Vs Burkina Faso; Senegal Vs Mali

     

    Thursday 17 February: Togo Vs Gabon

     

    Friday 18 February: Zimbabwe Vs Botswana; South Africa Vs Algeria; Tunisia Vs Equatorial Guinea; Cameroon Vs The Gambia; Nigeria Vs Cote d’Ivoire

     

    FIFA extends globally 2-year ban on Bangladesh –based Nigerian footballer

     

    World football-ruling body, FIFA has extended to worldwide effect, a two-year ban from the game clamped on Nigerian footballer Chizoba Christopher Iyikwobe by the Appeals Committee of the Bangladesh Football Federation in September last year.

     

    A letter dated 4th February 2022 and signed by the General Secretary of the Bangladesh Football Federation, Md. Abu Nayeem Shohaq and addressed to the General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, conveyed the decision of the Chairperson of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, Jorge Ivan Palacio, which was taken on 3rd February 2022.

     

    FIFA’s letter on the decision of its Disciplinary Committee, which was signed by Carlos Schneider, Director of FIFA Judicial Bodies, recalled that the Appeals Committee of the Bangladesh Football Federation had confirmed the two-year ban on Iyikwobe on 26th September 2021, and the Disciplinary Committee’s decision has now made the ban a global affair.

     

    A former player of Arambagh KS in the Bangladeshi league, Chizoba Christopher Iyikwobe was sanctioned for breach of contract.