Nigeria Content Online

­­­­The high-riding
Super Falcons of Nigeria are in no mood to hand a royal treat to the
Black Princesses of Ghana when both teams clash today in an All African
Games qualifier at the Abuja National stadium, so says the Falcon’s
coach, Eucharia Uche.

Instead the Nigerian women look good to compound the woes currently besetting Ghanaian football.

Ghana put up a
dismal performance at the last Africa Women Championship won by Nigeria
and are already out of the race to make it to the London 2012 Olympic
Games after being surprisingly beaten by “minnows” Ethiopia.

The country’s U-23
male team, also eyeing a place in the London Games, were ousted by
Tanzania, who coincidentally is Nigeria’s next opponent.

At the Africa Youth
Championships (AYC) which ends today, the defending Africa and world
champions, the Black Satellites, were ousted in the group stages
without a win thus failing to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in
Colombia.

With these and many
more worries for Ghana, the World Cup-bound Super Falcons are eyeing
one of the tickets to the football event of the Maputo Games ahead of
Ghana, as they will be hoping to replicate the gold medal-winning feat
achieved at the Algiers 2007 and Abuja 2003 All African Games.

Though Ghana is
often a tough nut to crack for the Falcons, recent results have put the
Black Queens on the back foot as their grip on women’s football in the
continent seems to be loosening by the day.

Nevertheless,
Eucharia Uche, Super Falcons gaffer said that her girls will not be
taking any chances with their arch rivals in today’s game billed to
kick-off by 4.00pm.

“We are looking
forward to the match. We are taking it as part of our build up to the
World Cup later in the year and so it will be approached with all
seriousness,” said the coach.

Eucharia, who rued
the absence of the bulk of her foreign-based professionals invited for
today’s crunch tie, however believes that the home based players will
still get the job done.

“It’s unfortunate
we could not secure the release of our professionals based in Sweden
and other European countries but that notwithstanding we have to make
do with what we have,” she continued.

She added: “We have been in camp for long preparing ourselves for the game so I believe we can get the much needed victory.”

Coach Uche however
informed NEXTSports that the clubs have agreed to release the players
for the return leg match billed for Accra in a fortnight.

No goals feast

The Super Falcons
were ruthless against their last opponents, Namibia, hitting 9 goals
past the hapless Brave Gladiators over two legs. Coach Uche is however
not guaranteeing such a high margin against Ghana as she pointed out
that victory is her major preoccupation for now.

“The major target is victory, I can’t guarantee a goals feast like we had against Namibia” she said.

“Ghana is one of
the best teams on the continent so we will be expecting a tough fight
from them. This is the only competition they are left with so they will
be putting in their best in it,” added Uche who was among the scorers
in Nigeria’s first ever encounter against Ghana, back in 1991.

Then known as the
Amazons, the Nigerians were ruthless against the Black Queens, sending
them back to Accra with a basketful of goals at the end of the game
played at the National Stadium in Lagos.

“After the 5-1
victory in 1991, it has not been easy beating the Ghanaians,” said the
former Super Falcons player who actually scored a hat trick in that
1991 game which witnessed a capacity crowd at the match venue.

Though the Nigeria
Football Federation threw the gates open during the last Super Falcons’
match at the Abuja Stadium, the venue was still scanty.

While hoping that
the fans will show up at the stadium to cheer her team to victory this
time around, Uche says she has no control on that.

“I don’t have a control over the crowd; that is not my duty.

Mine is to make sure the girls do well on the pitch and get the desired result,” she opined.

Redemption mission

Meanwhile, Kuuku
Dadzie, Ghana’s head coach, on his part says he is keen to restore the
country’s image and pride when his side tackle Nigeria in today’s
crucial All Africa Games qualifier.

“The Black
Princesses want to make amends after the embarrassing exit of both the
male and female Olympic teams from the 2012 London Olympic Games
qualifiers,” he said.

Dadzie admits he
will be facing a daunting task to book a passage to the games in Maputo
against the Super Falcons who are the reigning African women’s
champions.

“Everybody is looking up to the Princesses to restore the image of Ghana and we’re also battle ready.

“We know they’re
ahead of us, but we’ve psyched ourselves up for the game and we’ll
deliver,” he told a local radio station in Accra before the team’s
departure from Accra.

“Football is a game of uncertainty and with the right approach we’ll do well,” an optimistic Kuuku Dadzie concluded.