Falconets, Black Princesses In Stalement

Nigeria U -20 Women’s team the Falconets,were held to a goal less draw by Ghana in one of the first of the two warm up matches.

The match was played at the FIFA Goal Project pitch of the Abuja National Stadium and indeed lived up to its billings.

The Ghanians are expected to play two matches against the Falconets as part of the return leg earlier played in Ghana in the month of may.

Media officer of the Falconets, Elizabeth Kah who spoke with the head coach, peter Dedevbo said his team gifted the ball too easily which paved the way for their opponent dictating the pace of the game.

” These girls played as if they had nothing was at stake, i am disappointed with the way they played. I cannot tolerate this in the next match. The Ghanaian side is good i must confess and this showed in the way they played. We can not put up this kind of display at the world cup, that is why such games afford us the opportunity to correct our lapses”. Dedevbo noted.

Peter Dedevbo added that yesterday’s match has afforded him another opportunity to look closer at the girls.

“On the next match we must improve on our performance, the girls must understand the rivalry that exist between Ghana and Nigeria and they must show me more reasons why l should take them to Canada because if they are to fly the flag of Nigeria in Canada then they must up their game”.

Dedevbo further hinted that the second match will be a different ball game, and that the Falconets must win it.

Team captain Patience Okaeme after the match said the team did not do enough to win the match, she assured that the next match will be a different kettle of fish entirely.

“I agree that we did not play well, that is why it is good that such games are organised to put us in the right frame of mind and I can assure you that in our next match on Sunday against Ghana we shall show them the stuff we are made”.

The Falconets had won their first match against the Ghanians 2-1 in Accra and were beaten 0-1 in the second game.

The last friendly will be played on Sunday 29th May at the FIFA Goal project pitch by 4pm.

Falconets Play Goalless Draw With Sunshine Queens

Nigeria’s U-20 Women National Team, The Falconets , played a goal less draw against Sunshine Queens of Akure in a friendly.

The match took place at the Ondo township stadium.
As part of burial activities for Ondo State Governor’s mother in-law, the late chief Felicia Modupe Adeneyi.

The two teams put on a good fight, with both sides missing scoring chances.

Head coach, Peter Dedevbo, said  sunshine queens played a robust match trying to impress the home crowd.

“I had to advice my girls to  play safe to avoid  injuries as the world cup draws closer”.

The match  he notes is a build up to  friendly against the Black Princess of Ghana next month.

” Friendlies will give me the opportunity to experiment on the team’s performance”.

He said the technical crew is not relaxing on the Ondo result, but will intensify preparations for the world cup.

“I must ensure that the team’s training from now on be focused on ball work and the physical build of the players”.

Governor olusegun Mimiko and his wife Olukemi Mimiko were among hundreds of spectators who watched the match.

NFF Logo

Falconets Get New Assistant Coach, As Dedevbo Drops 6 players

Head Coach of the Falconets, Peter Dedevbo as dropped six players from the list of 35 players invited to camp. In preparation for The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, Canada 2014.

The players are:
Sidi Ajibola – FC Robo Lagos.
Lilian Tula – Taraba Queens.
David Florence – Tewo Queens Oyo.
Uchegbo Chidinma – Yaba Queens.
Ayomide Ojo – Police Team, Lagos.

Another player Fasilat Adeyemo was decamped for for failure to report three weeks after Camp resumed.

Dedevbo said the players were dropped because they could not ” endure the rigours of training”.

The Falconets will leave Abuja for Ondo State on monday the 26th of May for a friendly game with Sunshine Queens of Akure, the game will be played on Wednesday the 28th of May in Akure.

Meanwhile the Nigeria Football Foundation as appointment Mrs Mathew Olarenwaju Wemimo Oni as an assistant coach for the Falconets.

Oni is not a stranger to the National team as she was part of the U-20 team that represented Nigeria in Germany 2010. She also served as Team Manager of Sunshine Queens in 2012, she then went on to coach the same team in 2013.

The Former Pelican Stars player also once played for Oladimeji Tigress and Rivers Angel.

Her appointment now brings the number of the technical crew of the Falconets to four.

Sola Rogers

Falconets invites 35 players

Nigeria U -20 Women Football team the Falconets resume full training today at the FIFA Goal Project Package B pitch in preparation for the FIFA women’s world cup coming up from August 5-25th 2014 in Canada.

The team had qualified for the competition after winning all its qualifying matches against Sierra Leone, Tunisia and South Africa with a total of 31 goals. The Falconets came out Without conceding any goal.

Head coach Peter Dedevbo says 35 players are in camp out of whom the world cup squad will be picked.” Four players are from the U 17 women’s team, while the rest are from various clubs in the Nigeria women’s League. Training will be more technical to get the best legs as non of the players can lay claim of a shirt.”

The U-20 women’s team has participated in all FIFA women’s world cup since its inception in 2002 and in 2010 the team came second. The head coach says the position must be improved upon.” Commencing camp months to the world cup will enable the team play friendlies and for the technical crew to study the girls and make all necessary corrections before the competition.

Peter Dedevbo commends the Nigeria Football Federation for providing the enabling environment for the team promising that the girls will make the country proud.

U – 20 TEAM 35 MAN LIST

1. SANDRA​​ CHICHI

2. IBIJOKE ​​SANGONUGA

3. LUCKY ​​ANDY

4. CHIEDO​​ EHIUDO

5. SARAH ​​NNODIM

6. EBERE ​​OKOYE

7. GLADYS ​​ABASI

8. VICTORIA​​ AIEDELEMO

9. JIRORO​​ IDIKE

10. ROSEMARY ​​OKORO

11. OSAS ​​​ IGBINOVIA

12. ASISAT ​​OSHOALA

13. HALIMA ​​AYINDE

14. LOVETH ​​AYILA

15. UCHENNA ​​KALU

16. OGECHI ​​UKWUOMA

17. GRACE ​​HENRY

18. WINIFRED​​ EYEBHORIA

19. MABEL ​​MICHAEL

20. CHIDIMA​​ EDEJI

21. UGO ​​​NJOKU

22. CHINWE ​​IHEZOU

23. OKE​​​ MARIA

24. YETUNDE ​​ADEBOYEJO

25. SUNDAY ​​UCHECHI

26. HAUWA​​ ABDULLAHI

27. YETUNDE​​ ALUKO

28. FLORENCE ​​DAVID

29. OLUCHI ​​OFOEGBU

30. ESTHER ​​ELIJAH

31. PATIENCE ​​OKAEME

32. SIDI ​​​AJIBOLA

33. ABOSEDE ​​OLUKAYODE

34. AMARACHI ​​OJIMMA

35. UCHEGBE ​​AMISATA

MY DAD AND MUM ALMOST FOUGHT OVER MY CHOOSING FOOTBALL AS A CAREER – OFOEGBU

Skipper of Falconets to the 2012 FIFA U-20 world cup, Gloria Ofoegbu is hungry for glory at international level, having won all that is available to be won at the domestic scene,she now focuses on winning the African Women championship (AWC) and qualifying for the World Cup .

The Rivers Angels of Port Harcourt defender told Super Falcons media officer GRACIOUS AKUJOBI in this interview that her decision to take football as a career led to serious disagreement between her parents, but at the end her father had his way and her mother who did not want her to play football because she felt football is not for women had no choice but to back her choice of career.

“I have achieved virtually everything with my club Rivers Angel FC,what I want now is to win the African women championship (AWC) and the World Cup with Falcons”

“I have always had this vision where I see Falcons winning the World Cup and I assure my self that I will be part of that team.I have been praying about it and I believe it will materialize” She said.

The no nonsense defender whose petite size does not deter her from taking on attackers says though her team pays her well,administrators of female football should desist from rating female football low in Nigeria.

“Female football is rated very low here.They keep saying it is still developing,that is why they pay us meager salary as compared to what our male counterparts earn.Meanwhile,we do same training as the men.It is high time they started paying us well”.

On why she has not moved abroad to play after her superlative performance at the last U-20 World Cup in Japan,Ofoegbu said she fell into the hands of dubious agent and now wants to take her time before moving to Europe.

“I had offers after the World Cup in Japan but my agent then was not a straight forward person .I travelled to the Netherlands for trial and to eventually sign for a Club unfortunately for me the arrangement my agent made with the club was not authentic”

“I have been having offers from so many agents who want me to be their player but I don’t want to rush into signing any deal with an agent just yet.

The fourth child among eight siblings from Imo State says if not for her father who gave her all the support she would have abandoned football as a career because her mother hated and discouraged her from playing football.

“My dad was different.He volunteered to drop me off at my training venues and even bought me jersey,booth,chin guard,canvass e.t.c when I started playing just to encourage me.He was my backbone.But when my mum saw there is money in football she started encouraging me” she stated.

As the Super Falcons are in camp now preparing to qualify for another African Women championship (AWC) Ofoegbu says she believes in her team mates as they are ready to redeem the image of Super Falcons.

GRACIOUS AKUJOBI

Maigari: Memorable weekend signposts memorable year for Nigeria football

President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari posited at the weekend that memorable wins for Nigerian National Teams has signposted the making of a memorable year in the offing for the country’s game.

At the Dobsonville Stadium, Johannesburg, the U-20 Women National Team, Falconets, pipped their South African counterparts 1-0 for a 7-0 aggregate in the final African qualifying series for the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, due in Canada in August.

At the Cape Town Stadium, the Super Eagles B literally rose from the dead, coming from a 0-3 deficit to draw level and eventually edge out Morocco’s Atlas Lions 4-3 in extra time, in what remains the most extraordinary match in the history of the African Nations
Championship.

Maigari says the victories not only confirm South Africa as a happy hunting ground for the present NFF, but also presages what is set to be an extraordinary year for Nigeria football.

“It has been an amazing weekend, in both Johannesburg and Cape Town. The Falconets concluded their fixture against Basetsana (South Africa’s U-20 girls) in emphatic fashion and the Super Eagles fully underscored the ever-unyielding spirit of the Nigerian.

“It’s a long time that the football world witnessed such a dramatic comeback, with all the thrills and frills. Our U-20 boys did something
like this against then USSR, in their quarter final duel at the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship, which people still refer to as Dammam Miracle. The Super Eagles B have given us a Cape Town Wonder and they certainly look very good for the trophy.”

Maigari will lead the Nigeria delegation to Bloemfontein on Wednesday for the semi final cracker, against the winner between Ghana and Democratic Republic of Congo, which was playing out on Sunday night.

The Free State Stadium hosted the clash between the Super Eagles A and Greece at the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals, which Nigeria lost 1-2 after taking a first half lead.

President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday evening congratulated the Eagles for an amazing comeback and charged them to fly all the way to the trophy.

CHAN 2014, Canada 2014 Women’s World Cup Qualifier, Maigari Wants SA Double Dose…As Supporters Club promise maximum support for Super Eagles and Falconets

CHAN 2014, Canada 2014 Women’s World Cup Qualifier, Maigari Wants SA Double Dose…As Supporters Club promise maximum support for Super Eagles and Falconets

NFF President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari arrived Cape Town on Friday morning to join in the Super Eagles party that is set to conquer North African foe; Morocco. But he is not thinking of the Eagles alone, the Super Falconets are also in town and on his mind.

“We want double dose victory this weekend. Yes, the Falconets have won the first leg by 6-0, but we still want another victory over the South Africans and the girls have promised that they will give it”, Maigari declared through Technical Committee boss, Barr Chris Green, who was in the company of National Women Teams’ Coordinator Aisha Falode at the team’s Green Court, East Gate hotel in Johannesburg.

Maigari through Green told the players that he has been following them closely since the qualifiers for the Canada 2014 World Cup began and he was totally impressed at the output of the players and officials of the team so far. He promised a holistic approach to the preparations of the girls for the World Cup but added, “this game is coming at a time our national team is also in action, you must ensure that you win and win well because the senior national team have already given indications that they will destroy the opposition”, he said.

Later in the evening at the Green Point training ground of the Eagles, President General of the Nigerian and Other Sports Supporters Club, Dr Rauf Ladipo, along with some of his members kept a close eye on the Eagles build up to the game against Morocco and declared at the end of the training that he was impressed with what he saw. “I must commend the NFF, the technical crew and the players for the dedication that I have seen in training just now”, he declared.

Ladipo also said like Maigari, he has a dual plan for supporters to be in Johannesburg and in Cape Town for the double dose victory that the teams expect. “Our people are already on ground in Johannesburg and we have another set here in Cape Town, there will be no let down in both games but I had thought the games will be shifted by a day, but we are ready for whatever is thrown at us”. In short support for both Falconets and Super Eagles is berekete”, he said.

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014: Nigeria’s Falconets to tackle Basetsana at Dobsonville, Soweto

Canada 2014: Falconets to tackle Basetsana at Dobsonville

Nigeria’s U-20 women team, nicknamed Falconets, will fly into Johannesburg on Thursday morning for their final leg of African
qualifying series for the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, against South Africa’s U-20 women side, known as Basetsana.

Vice champions of the world in 2010, the Nigerian girls take a handy 6-0 advantage into Saturday’s return leg, due for the Dobsonville
Stadium in Soweto – the venue where the U-20 boys of Nigeria, Flying Eagles, won the African Youth Championship in 2011.

On Tuesday, the Nigeria Football Federation notified the High Commission of Nigeria in South Africa about the arrival of the
delegation, which will fly out of Lagos aboard a South African Airways airplane on Wednesday night.

An hour before the Falconets left for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Wednesday, on their way to Lagos, NFF President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari was at the team’s camp to commed players and officials for their excellent fighting spirit since the qualifying series began and charged them to conclude the series in emphatic fashion.

“I am delighted at the way you have taken the challenge of qualifying with steely resolve, and how you have not been shy to score a lot of goals in your matches. My humble self, the entire Executive Committee and Management of NFF and indeed, the Nigeria football family are proud of you.

“My charge to you, technical crew and players, is not relent at this stage. South Africa is a major power in African women football, so do not under-rate them. Even though we have a 6-0 advantage, we must play the return leg match as if it were the first leg,” Maigari urged.

Maigari, who also met with the U-17 girls, Flamingos, splashed the sum of one million naira (N1 million) on both teams to spur them ahead of coming challenges.

The U-17 girls are due to embark on a tour of four States of the Federation to play leading women clubs in the country, preparatory to
their departure to Europe for final training camp ahead of the 4th FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, taking place in Costa Rica between 15 March – 4 April.

Slated to tackle the Flamingos are Nasarawa Amazons, Bayelsa Queens,Rivers Angels and Delta Queens.