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Head Coach Randy Waldrum has picked captain Rasheedat Ajibade, goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, defender Osinachi Ohale, forward Asisat Oshoala and 14 other players in his final list of Nigeria’s Super Falcons for this year’s Women’s Olympic Football Tournament in France.
There are also defenders Oluwatosin Demehin and Michelle Alozie, midfielders Deborah Abiodun, Halimatu Ayinde, Christy Ucheibe and Toni Payne, and forwards Esther Okoronkwo, Chinwendu Ihezuo and Uchenna Kanu.
Squad members who are currently on holidays in Nigeria will join home-based players and team officials aboard an Air France flight from Abuja to Sevilla, Spain on Thursday night, with the rest of the playing body and technical team also arriving in Sevilla on Friday for a two-week training camp.
The team is scheduled to depart Sevilla for France on Thursday, 18th July.
Nine-time African champions Nigeria, who are making their first appearance at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament for the first time since 2008 in China, will tackle Brazil, Spain and Japan, in that order, at this year’s tournament.
To qualify for the 12-team tournament, the Falcons edged South Africa’s Banyana Banyana 1-0, with a strike from the penalty spot in Abuja by Ajibade separating Africa’s top two teams over two legs in the month of April.
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Their first game, against Brazil, comes up at the Stade Bordeaux on 25th July, before confrontations with Spain (28th July) and Japan (31st July). The matches against Spain and Japan will hold at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes, where the Super Eagles famously defeated tournament favourites Spain 3-2 in a memorable game at the 1998 FIFA World Cup finals.
FULL SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC); Tochukwu Oluehi (Shualat Alsharqia FC, Saudi Arabia)
Defenders: Osinachi Ohale (Pachucha Club de Futbol, Mexico); Oluwatosin Demehin (Stade de Reims, France); Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash, USA); Nicole Payne (Portland Thorns FC, USA); Chidinma Okeke (Mynavi Sendai Ladies, Japan)
Midfielders: Deborah Abiodun (University of Pittsburgh, USA); Halimatu Ayinde (FC Rosengard, Sweden); Christy Ucheibe (SL Benfica, Portugal); Jennifer Echegini (Juventus Ladies, Italy); Toni Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain)
Forwards: Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid FC, Spain); Esther Okoronkwo (Changchun FC, China); Asisat Oshoala (Bay FC, USA); Uchenna Kanu (Racing Louisville, USA); Chiwendu Ihezuo (Pachucha Club de Futbol, Mexico); Chinonyerem Macleans (Locomotiv Moscow, Russia)
Alternate Players: Jumoke Alani (Nasarawa Amazons); Ifeoma Onumonu (Utah Royals, USA); Gift Monday (Coasta Adeje Tenerife Egatesa, Spain); Morufa Ademola (Rivers Angels)
26 Comments
This waldrum guy na wetin we need for super Eagles.The guy nor send.Dem wan impose Ordega and Ebi on am.He hala like Public address system.The problem with Nigeria nor be only our sit tight leaders.Footballers when Don old (considering say we nor dey talk true for age matta) always put their interest before the success of the team.
Ebi say make dem honour am with inclusion. Why not leave when we still dey clap for you? I wish these successful success for Olympic according to one former minister when oyibo go say name witheld
Can you imagine….She gave credence to that story by asking to be honored cuz Brazilian Martha was included in the Brazilian squad, talk about how selfish one can be. She is 41 years old with 6 world cup appearances and was at the last Olympics we appeared in which was 2008. Apart from our corrupt and evil leaders, we have individuals who also need some soul searching and could probably be worse if they had superior powers.
NFF should organize a testimonial match to honor her, and not with a precious Olympic slot.
Gbam 🙂
Honestly we need coach Waldrum type of coach in Super Eagles. A coach who selects players on merit and current form, and not on sentiments. Kudos to coach Randy Waldrum.
The list caters for everything: solidity at the back; compactness in the middle; fluidity on the flanks; and firepower in front.
Methinks Waldrum and his ladies will want nothing else but to make up for not going as far as they were capable of at the world cup last year.
This is a team all on the same page with their manager in strategies and approaches needed to make a strong statement in France.
Ordega is more impactful than some of the players, I wonder why she was left out, from prep to participation.
But anyways, the violence is done already.
Oga Akunde, na you be the coach?….and how close are you to the team when you take know say Odega dey impactful better than some of the other players….Dancing and show boating no impact the gamein any positive way…..Abi na her beauty wey dey impact your opinion?….Ashawo sumbori…..
Thank you coach Waldrum Olu. As far as you don’t know, less important screws than Ordega are in the team, and no thanks to the ethnic power horses behind them. Were she from those blocks, like Oshoala, she would be included. But like said, Coach Waldrum Olu, the violence is done. The Orderga you refuse to praise for some sense of bigotry despite being Nigeria’s trophy winning player all the times, is bowing out in full honor. Dont turn around at during the games with ur head buried in between you for the abysmal performances of the unfits you coach Waldrum Olu has listed.
I miss the absence of Rinsola but few will mourn the exlusion of Onumonu in the main squad to indifference displays. The strong displays of Iheuzo against South Arfica – which drew plaudits from the coach himself – sounded the death knell on Ifeoma’s place.
It was always mission-impossible for Regina to try to displace any of the midfielders whilst Imuran’s role further forward in club football imperiled her place in the Super Falcons defence.
I am only too happy to see Chinonyerem return. She offers pace, power and polish up front.
The Super Falcons will be formidable.
I miss the absence of Rinsola but few will mourn the exlusion of Onumonu in the main squad to indifference displays. The strong displays of Iheuzo against South Arfica – which drew plaudits from Waldrum himself – sounded the death knell on Onumonu’s place.
It was always mission-impossible for Regina Otu to try to displace any of the midfielders whilst Imuran’s role further forward in club football imperiled her place in the Super Falcons defence.
I am only too happy to see Chinonyerem Macleans return. She offers pace, power and polish up front.
The Super Falcons will be formidable.
Is Ashleigh still injured? Or is she done with Super Falcons?
She has not recovered early enough to justify a spot in an 18-man Olympic squad.
Apart from that this list cannot be more perfect. It only shows Waldrum has been following his team and remains fully in charge.
Unlike Egavoen and Finidi who will invite injured players to the SE and not have the balls to decamp them immediately it is discovered when they arrive in camp that they are injured.
Onome and Ordega can wait and try in 2028. Hopefully they might make the Olympic Squad, age being their friend and if they stay fit and in-form.
Does this mean Ngozi Okobi has retired from the national team as she’s no longer called for games again?
Pepe younate hailing is still playing for Portygal, but not your own still doing well in their clubs are fit. We are screwed with self disbelieve.
Why are you all over the place trying defend the fraud that was about to happen….According to feeders both players, Ordega and Onome have not played actively for their clubs in weeks/months…. Did not even play the grueling games that got us the olympic ticket to the WC and you won’t to sneak them in at the expense of others who used their sweat and blood…Na God go punish you. You must be close to them or some fraudulent NFF official.
@ greenturf, For the past two seasons statistics shows that ucheibe and ayinde have been playing as a center back for their respective club side, not to mention chidima okeke. Due to limited number of players for the olympics( 18 players) . Our experienced gaffer coach waldrum opted for versatile/ utility players. He knows his onion.
Both players have separately gone to the public to debunk the news. It was all fake news.
The false reports stated that the NFF had submitted their names to the organizers, but now the official list is out and both names are not there.
People should please let these ladies enjoy their “retirement” in peace. There is no gain in tarnishing their hard earned name and reputation
Nice list but Oshoala should have been swapped for additional central defender.
We have Ihezuo,Maclean,Ajibade and Okoronkwo,in my opinion the team don’t need Oshoala,the aforementioned players are good for the team.
Besides,in an 18 player list,you don’t need that many attackers,squad balance and management is very important unless you are planning on expanding the numbers.
It is kind of scary we have no back up for defence but I guess Deborah Abiodun or another defensive midfielder will play defence incase of any eventuality.
Tribal bigot…. difficult to hide their inferiority complex. Can you read @Deo, @Dre and @Pompei? They are Yorùbá but didn’t talk down on any IGBO. You mean if you’re coach, you ipl leave out your best and biggest Player? OSHOALA kee you dia!
Do not bring the tribal thing please!Just to let you know,you’re not more Yoruba than i am.I was raised in Lagos had my education in Abeokuta and Ibadan.I understand Yoruba language!
Oshoala is not the only Yoruba player in that team.Why did i mention her name and not fantastic Deborah Abiodun,Ajibade,Ayinde and the rest?
Because of her status she may eat up more playing time than she deserves,leaving younger and better players on the bench,this may come to bite us like it did at the world cup.
I hope Oshoala retire’s from the super falcons after the Olympics because there’s nothing more she could add to the team,besides,with emerging players from the youth teams in the offing her days in the super falcons is drawing gradually to a close.
We actually have a spare center back in Christy Ucheibe.
She was splendid in that role alongside Ohale against SA.
In fact, she was so solid, I found myself wondering if the center back position is her true calling.
So we actually have 6 defenders. One is hiding in plain sight.
Pompei. Mark my word, Ucheibe would start as a centre back at the Olympics. Demehin would only be her back up. That lady was flawless in that position for not games against South Africa.
An IBO will always be an IBO… complex, tribalistic and shameless! If you’re a coach you will bench a regular starter with the 4th best team in the French Women League for in the French Women League for a midfielder in an inferior Portuguese league? Why not bench a 32 years old OHALE who plays for Pachuca in the iinferior Mexican Women league?
I believe the gaffer made a mistake by placing our tested and trusted Gift Monday on standby. Who does that?
How can he preferred Chiwendu Ihezuo to Monday kę?
Everybody knows that I love seeing our best players but the coach will regret this if our beloved did make the list in the end.
I love the gaffer and I’m proud of him but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t tell him the missing list in this team.
I also suggest if NFF doesn’t find the world class coach they have been looking for, this coach may help them. Who is fooling who NFF? Shi ọ. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!