Nigeria Content Online

As
part of efforts to fortify her squad, Super Falcons coach, Uche
Eucharia, has invited 40 players for a special camping exercise.

Eight goal keepers
and 32 players have been invited to the camp, which opens in Abuja
beginning from the January 20. All members of the Falcons team that
were in South Africa last year for the African Women’s Championship
(AWC) were however not invited.

Uche explained that this was part of her plans to prosecute a victorious expedition at the 2011 FIFA Women World Cup.

“This camping
exercise is the first of its kind. I call it training and screening
camp. It will help me see the level of fitness of the players that I
will use for the World Cup. The camping is for those who had no
opportunity to join us when we were preparing for the AWC,” she said of
the camping exercise which is meant to last a fortnight.

“We missed some
players at the AWC last year because their clubs refused to release
them. This time around however, it will not be like that because all
the foreign based players are currently on holiday here in Nigeria,”
she told NEXT Sports.

Nigeria has been
placed in the same group with Canada, France and world champions,
Germany, in Group A of the World Cup, which begins in June in Germany.

Getting the best

After the Falcons were thrashed 8-0 in a friendly by Germany, Uche knows that only the best can stand a chance at the World Cup.

“We need players who are physically strong and technically good. The camp will help us select the best for Nigeria,” she said.

The Nigeria
football federation (NFF) is in talks with authorities in England and
Germany with regards reaching an agreement for a foreign camp for the
Falcons ahead of the tournament.

“We want our girls
to acclimatise to the weather conditions in Germany,” NFF president,
Aminu Maigari told a sports website recently.

“We want the girls
to be ready in all respects when the World Cup begins. We are talking
to the necessary authorities and right now we are set to select either
Germany or England,” the NFF president said.

Nigeria’s opening match at the FIFA Women’s World Cup will be against France on June 26 in Sinsheim, Germany.