President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, has expressed optimism that Nigeria’s senior women’s soccer team, Super Falcons will do well at the Olympic Games in Paris in July, reports Completesports.com.
Speaking in an exclusive chat with Completesports.com in Abuja, the NFF boss said the idea is to surpass the Super Falcons’ performance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand last year. The Falcons crashed out on a penalty shootout against England in the Round of 16.
The Super Falcons are drawn in Group C of the Paris 2024 women’s football event alongside world champions Spain, former champions Japan and women’s football giants, Brazil. Two teams will qualify automatically from each of the three groups while the two best third-placed teams will join the six for the quarter-finals.
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“We shall try to better our World Cup performance where we crashed out without losing a single game during regulation time. The girls have shown resilience and determination to qualify for the Olympics against all odds and I trust them to carry that same spirit to the Games in Paris,” Gusau told Completesports.com.
“The teams in our group are among the best in women’s football in the world but I can tell you that we can only respect them but will not be afraid to play any of them. After a performance at the World Cup in Australia/New Zealand, I know none of the teams in our group will take us for granted.”
Gusau continued: “We want to qualify from the group stage and target the semi-finals which puts us in the medal range. I just believe that the team will do well in Paris and return to the country with medals on their neck. Missing three previous Olympics qualifications will motivate the girls to make their mark in Paris.”
On preparing the Super Falcons for the games, Alhaji Gusau said the NFF is in sync with the Ministry of Sports Development, adding that the Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh is giving all the necessary support for the team to excel at the Games stressing that he has given approval for the team to engage in one or two international friendly matches before the Games,” the former NFF chairman of Chairmen divulged.
By Richard Jideaka, Abuja
2 Comments
If you mediocre administrators will act professionally which you NFF Admins aren’t capable of. Its a pity for Nigerian football lovers to have you people at the realm of affairs. The manner at which you treat those professionals footballer is unacceptable i.e. you providing combi bus with no AC for the Super Falcon is a shame on us .
“..he has given approval for the team to engage in one or two international friendly matches before the Games…”
Really. That is your “all the support” forom the ministry that will get the SF into the medal zone at the Olympics….???
Wow…!!!