Nigeria Content Online

The
newly crowned champions of Africa, Super Falcons, returned home
yesterday afternoon to a rapturous reception at the Murtala Muhammed
International Airport, Lagos.

Hundreds of
well-wishers, most of who had been at the airport hours before the
team’s arrival from Johannesburb, jubilated and cheered the team.

The Falcons had
done the country proud by winning the 7th edition of the African
Women’s Championship (AWC) on the back of five straight victories over
Mali, South Africa, Tanzania, Cameroon and defending champions
Equatorial Guinea.

Moments after their
arrival, they were paraded in an open-top trailer before being taken to
the domestic wing of the airport from where they boarded an Arik Air
aircraft to Abuja for a reception – organised by the federal government.

The presidency
commended the Falcons for not only reclaiming the African Women
Championship title they failed to defend at the 2008 tournament in
Equatorial Guinea, but for also qualifying for the 2011 FIFA Women’s
World Cup scheduled to hold in Germany in June.

Up next, Germany

Ahead of the World
Cup, which will be Nigeria’s sixth successive appearance. As part of
preparations, the Super Falcons will play an international friendly
against Germany on November 25. Because of the match, the team is
expected to resume training this weekend after observing a few days of
rest.

“I think that the
friendly is very close,” Eucharia Uche, the team’s coach told reporters
in Lagos. “As soon as we finish celebrating we will gather together for
that game.

“The World Cup is
different from the AWC. It is a bigger tournament and we intend to
prepare well for it.” The game against the Germans will take place in
the city of Leverkusen and will see the newly crowned African champions
testing their might against the winners of the last two editions of the
FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Perpetua Nkwocha,
the leading goal scorer at the AWC, is happy about the fixture and she
called on the Nigeria Football Federation to organise more of such
games for the team.

“The NFF must organise many friendly games for us, not against African teams but against European teams.

“I think they are
planning to do that because this month we are going to play Germany,”
said the Sweden-based forward when asked what was needed to help the
team prepare for the World Cup.

Official airline congratulates the team

Arik Air, the
airline that flew the team home, also joined millions of Nigerians in
congratulating the Super Falcons on their victory over Equatorial
Guinea in Sunday’s AWC final.

The airline’s
Managing Director/Executive Vice President, Chris Ndulue echoed the
sentiments of many in Nigeria by saying: “Congratulations to the Super
Falcons from all of us at Arik Air, in reclaiming the African title
they lost to Equatorial Guinea two years ago and on becoming six-time
champions of Africa.” Ndulue said Arik Air is happy to be identified
with the team having had the honour of flying the team to and from
South Africa.

It’s not the first time Arik Air will be flying the national team to or from a major championship.

In May this year, prior to the commencement of the World Cup, the
airline stepped in to fly the Super Eagles from London to Durban, South
Africa, after the prearranged chartered flight for the team could not
operate.