July 16, (THEWILL) – Nigeria is set to host a six-nation tournament in the name of the country’s First Lady, Aisha Buhari, scheduled for the 14th-20th September in Lagos. The Aisha Buhari Invitational Women’s Football Tournament will boast of arguably six of Africa’s strongest women’s teams in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Morocco, Cameroon and Mali.
Ahead of this, the American coach of the Falcons, Randy Waldrum, had called up a team of Nigeria’s senior women’s national squad to camp at the Austrian capital, Vienna for an eight-day training session as part of the country’s preparations for the tournament.
The September event will see the city of Lagos welcome the Black Queens of Ghana, the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameron, Banyana Banyana of South Africa, the Atlas Lionesses of Morocco and Les Aiglonnes of Mali with African champions, the Super Falcons, headlining the event.
Presently, at the Event Hotel Pyramide in Vienna, a contingent of 26 players, together with the technical and administrative crew are making preparations and mapping out strategies to harness the different qualities and abilities of individual players with lessons picked up from the Summer Series in the USA last month.
As THEWILL reported, the Falcons gave a strong showing during the series though the results did not give a fair account of their overall performance. They started with a loss to the Reggae Girlz of Jamaica, drew with the Seleccao das Quintas of Portugal before the tie against the USWNT, which they also lost by two stoppage-time goals at the end of each half.
However, coach Waldrum continues to tweak the team formation as he introduces some fresh blood into the squad with all-round improvements and competitive edge in mind. Eligible Nigerians from across the globe have been identified and invited to bolster the overall quality of the final squad.
Players like Yewande Balogun, Onyinyechi Zogg, Nicole Payne and Michelle Alozie are soon going to become household names in the way Asisat Oshoala’s has become with the quality they are bringing on board. Their inclusion and the ease with which they bonded with teammates during the Summer Series is testament to the cohesion being built in the squad.
This internal team status quo bodes well for the country’s participation in future events. Currently, the pedigree of the Falcons remains high especially as they belong to an elite class of only seven countries that have qualified for and participated at every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals since the competition was launched in 1991.
Although they are unfortunately not participating at the upcoming Summer Games of the Tokyo Olympics, the Super Falcons have competed at no fewer than three Olympic Games, for which they qualified.
To keep the side competitive, coach Waldrum has continued a dedicated project of recruiting highly skilled players of Nigerian origin wherever they can be found. This has brought in players like the Ijeh sisters, Josephine and Evelyn, Megan Ashleigh and Ninuola Dada, who are already in the Austrian camp. The American has also welcomed England-based forward Ini-Abasi Umotong back to the squad.
A renewed interest in the strength and development of the female team to match the men’s has seen an uptick in the involvement of the ladies in camping and preparations. This Austria’s session is the third gathering that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has arranged for the Super Falcons this year.
THEWILL recalls their overly successful 100% participation of three-wins-out-three at the Turkish Women’s Cup in Antalya in February and the Summer Series in the USA last month, which was alluded to above.
This time a much fuller collection of the best female players include team goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, defender Osinachi Ohale,
midfield playmaker Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene and forward Uchenna Kanu, who all missed the tour of USA just as there is a return for former captain Desire Oparanozie and fellow forward Ebere Orji.
As nine-time champions of the African Women’s Cup of Nations, the Falcons who have only failed to win in two of the 11 continental competitions so far organised, are fully resolved to keep their dominance of women’s football in Africa up by clinching victory at the Lagos event in September.
Team sheet of Falcons in Camp
GOALKEEPERS
Tochukwu Oluehi (CD Pozoalbense, Spain); Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC, France); Patience Okeke (Bayelsa Queens); Yewande Balogun (California Storm, USA)
DEFENDERS
Glory Ogbonna (Edo Queens); Osinachi Ohale (Madrid CFF, Spain); Esther Ogbonna (Edo Queens); Chidinma Okeke (Madrid CFF, Spain); Onyinyechi Zogg (FC Zurich, Switzerland); Nicole Payne (West
Virginia University, USA); Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash Reserves, USA); Megan Ashleigh (Leicester City, England); Josephine Ijeh (BK Hacken, Sweden)
MIDFIELDERS
Rita Chikwelu (Madrid CFF, Spain); Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene (Eskilstuna United, Sweden); Toni Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain); Mowaninuola Dada (Watford FC, England)
FORWARDS
Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid, Spain); Francisca Ordega (Levante UD, Spain); Gift Monday (FC Robo Queens); Joy Bokiri (Bayelsa Queens); Uchenna Kanu (Linkopings FC, Sweden); Ebere Orji (Sundsvall DFF, Sweden); Ini-Abasi Umotong (Lewes FC, England); Evelyn Ijeh (BK Hacken, Sweden); Desire Oparanozie (FC Dijon, France)
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
