NAN-S-19
Qualifier
By Ijeoma Okigbo
Abuja, Jan. 9, 2018 (NAN) Nigeria’s U-20 female national team, the Falconets, are expected to depart the country on Wednesday ahead of their final U-20 World cup qualifying match against South Africa.
Mr. Christopher Danjuma, the team’s head coach, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja that the Falconets were optimistic of securing one of the two tickets to the World Cup.
Danjuma said that the managers of the team had been putting everything in place to ensure that the ladies took part in the age-grade event in France.
Cue in audio (Danjuma)
“Training has been wonderful. We have been putting everything in place, by the grace of God, to make sure that we go to South Africa and make Nigerians proud.
“When we started this campaign, we knew that the bar that has always been set in this category has been a high one and you know how passionate we are about football.
“So, it is the same mindset, the same level of responsibility we carry in the preparation and in going for any of these matches to make sure that Nigeria is represented in France 2018’’.
Cue out audio
The Falconets take on the South Africans on Saturday with the return leg scheduled to hold in Nigeria in a fortnight.
The winner of the fixture will pick one of the two tickets for the World Cup which will hold in August.
The Nigerian ladies have taken part in all editions of the tournament since it began.
It was first conducted in 2002 as the FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship with an upper age limit of 19.
In 2006, the age limit was raised to the current 20.
The event was renamed as a World Cup effective with the 2008 competition, making its name consistent with FIFA’s other worldwide competitions for national teams. (NAN)
IHA/HAS/YEE
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Edited by Hajiya Sani/Emmanuel Yashim