NIGERIA-WOMEN'S FOOTBALL Nigeria's Super Falcons look to the future after lacklustre women's World Cup

Record ID: 143836

  • Title: NIGERIA-WOMEN'S FOOTBALL Nigeria's Super Falcons look to the future after lacklustre women's World Cup
  • Date: 15th August 2015
  • Summary: WIDE OF STADIUM VARIOUS OF FOOTBALL FANS WATCHING THE MATCH
  • Embargoed: 30th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA3V27F9T9HQAZNEJ0ASO8WOVQE
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Fresh from a premature elimination at the recently concluded Women's World Cup in Canada, Nigeria's Super Falcons say they are yet to find their rhythm. The team made little headway in the global tournament and were forced to exit at the group stage.
    Nigeria have been Africa's commanding team in women's football, ever present at every Women's World Cup, and were finally hoping to step up and join the list of the tournament's top contenders.
    But their hopes were dashed when the team was edged out of the tournament by the United States in a game that ended 1-0.
    The United States team went on to win the Women's World Cup for the third time with a crushing 5-2 victory over Japan.
    Team members say they were disappointed with the team's performance at the World Cup but are optimistic they will make it to the Olympic Games taking place in Brazil next year.
    "As players we didn't expect to go out that way at the World Cup, we had so many plans before we went for the World Cup, we went there with high hopes but our hopes were just dashed but then we resolved amongst ourselves that because we did not qualify for the last Olympics and this is another opportunity for us to show the world what we have," said Super Falcons Captain, Evelyn Nwabuoku.
    As a result of the poor performance at the tournament, the former coach Edwin Okon was sacked and an interim coach was immediately appointed to take over for the Olympic qualifiers.
    But despite the sour finish at the World Cup and previous poor showings at international competitions, the Super Falcons say women's football in Nigeria is making progress.
    "It has to do with proper planning, the group, the people we played in the World Cup, if you check the standings we are not of the same calibre, they prepared so well. Fine we did our best but our best was not good enough but I think that's a very good one for us. We've learnt and I think female football in Nigeria has improved a lot," added Nwabuoku.
    Super Falcons foreward Asisat Oshoala was voted 2015 BBC Women's footballer of the year in May. The win was seen by many as a sign of things to come and expectations were high that the Super Falcons would put up a strong performance at the World Cup.
    Acting coach, Christopher Danjuma says the team has enormous potential.
    "One thing I want us to check is history, where have we come from, from the last major competitions we have gone to and how is our performance? I know position or where we get to in a competition matters but one thing we fail to look at is the technical and the tactical input of a team and how far they have fared from the last where they are coming from. It shows you that this is a team that has a great prospect of equalling anybody in the world," he said.
    Those sentiments were put to the test at a recent Olympics qualifying match against Equatorial Guinea where the Falcons only managed a draw.
    "We should be seen like the Germany of Africa which we are even though we are African champions but it seems as if at a point we are beginning to relax because we feel we are there already but other countries are catching up already, Equatorial Guinea is almost up, South Africa is there, Ghana they are there so I believe that it's still work in progress, we should have been better off than now," said sports journalist Dupe Oyewaye after watching the Super Falcons play Equatorial Guinea recently in the capital Abuja.
    The future of Nigeria's women's football is also pinned on the younger players. The Falconets, the under-20 side have won a place at the next round of the 2016 under-20 World Cup qualifiers.
    "We are getting there. You can see that if we have gotten there... before we have gotten to the finals twice, it shows that in this decade a team in Africa, maybe Nigeria, could win one of the Women's World Cups, either under 17, under 20 or the Super Falcons," said Falconets coach, Peter Devdebo.
    The Super Falcons have kept up an obligatory African presence at the last six World Cups but made little headway, demonstrating the gulf between their game and the more developed standard of women's football in Europe and North America.
    Twelve of the country's female players are now foreign-based. Fans and analysts alike hope this will boost the quality of the game and improve the Super Falcons' chances at success.
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