855 total views,  3 views today

By Amaechi Agbo

2020 Africa Games gold medal winners, Falconets of Nigeria will today commence camping ahead of the 2020 World Cup qualifiers, Bestchoicesports.com.ng can report

Camped in Abuja, the nation’s capital, the qualifier against Burkina Faso’s ladies is coming less than three weeks to the encounter.

The first leg of the second round qualifying fixture will take place at the August 4 Stadium in Ouagadougou on Saturday, 21st March, with the return leg a week later at the Agege Stadium, Lagos.

The team is led without a substantive chief coach.

Falconets, Two-time World Cup second best team, have participated at every edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup since it was launched as an U-19 tournament in Canada 18 years ago. This year’s finals will be co-hosted by Costa Rica and Panama.

At the weekend, the Nigeria Football Federation approved the appointment of Coach Moses Adukwu as 1st Assistant Coach, with Bilikisu Tijani as 2nd Assistant and Audu Yahaya as Goalkeepers’ Trainer of the Falconets.

Adukwu, who will hold forth as head of the technical crew pending the appointment of a Head Coach, has called up 40 players to begin preparations for the clash with the fellow West Africans, who edged out Gambia 3-2 on aggregate in the first round of the campaign.

There are six goalkeepers, 10 defenders, 10 midfielders and 14 strikers on the roster.

Goalkeepers: Rita Akarekor (Bayelsa Queens); Christiana Obia (Osun Babes); Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC, France); Omini Oyono (Confluence Queens); Christy Obis (Osun Babes); Nelly Ekeh (Bayelsa Queens)

Defenders: Omowunmi Oshobukola (Sunshine Queens); Chidinma Okeke (Madrid CFF, Spain); Esther Momoh (Confuence Queens); Ifeoma Ikenokwalu (Rivers Angels); Sarah Oloduba (Osun Babes); Margaret Etim (Rivers Angels); Akudo Ogbonna (Sunshine Queens); Ifeoma Paulinus (Rivers Angels); Rebecca Ajimuda (Edo Queens); Tosin Dameline (Sunshine Queens)

Midfielders: Mary Saiki (Nasarawa Amazons); Basirat Amoo (Confluence Queens); Folasade Ijamilusi (FC Robo); Adebisi Saheed (Bayelsa Queens); Esther Onyenezide (FC Robo); Rose Ekong (Sunshine Queens); Mary Adeyemi (Osun Babes); Suliat Abideen (Sunshine Queens); Celine Ottah (Bayelsa Queens); Patricia Innocent (Sunshine Queens)

Forwards: Dooshima Tarnum (Nasarawa Amazons); Grace Igboamalu (Nasarawa Amazons); Precious Christopher; Rafiat Sule; Gift Monday (FC Robo); Mary Anjor (Bayelsa Queens); Esther Adeboye; Blessing Okpe (Rivers Angels); Augusta Nwamaka (Confluence Queens); Marian Ezenagu (Rivers Angels); Mary Alfred (Confluence Queens); Precious Vincent (Sunshine Queens); Joy Omewa (Confluence Queens); Joy Jerry (Bayelsa Queens)

It could be recalled that months after tens of Nigerian coaches submitted applications to handle various national teams of the country except the Super Eagles as announce by the NFF, the federation is yet to announce the full composition of the technical crew of the teams.

Like the U-17 female team, Flamingos, the camping of the Falconets comes too close before the qualifiers.

This needless delay by the NFF in ensuring that the cadet teams get enough preparations ahead of tournaments and qualifiers, have left may analysits wondering why the NFF continues to promote fire brigade norms in the cadet systems.