September 10, (THEWILL) – The Super Falcons of Nigeria are poised to take on the challenge of some of the best teams playing at the highest levels of female football on the continent at the international women’s football invitational tournament, the Aisha Buhari Cup (ABC) competition, billed for Lagos in this month.
The serial African champions representing Nigeria in female football were denied an opportunity to demonstrate their credentials at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, as they did not qualify for the global sporting tournament.
The invitational competition, billed as a celebration of female football on the continent, therefore comes as a platform for the consistently highest-ranked female football team in Africa to get into shape for the upcoming qualifiers for the 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON), which, of itself, will also serve as the qualifiers for the 2023 FIFA World Cup.
In the latest FIFA ranking of football, the Super Falcons, who are ranked 38th in the world, are highest in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) region. They are followed by 52nd-placed Cameroon and 55th-placed South Africa. Ghana is third at they occupy the 60th position and right below them, in 61st, is Cote d’Ivoire.
This ranking was behind the selection that led to including South Africa, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali and Morocco as the participating countries in the ABC competition scheduled to kickoff on Wednesday, 15 September at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, in Lagos. Morocco and Mali are ranked 8th and 9th in CAF.
Further cementing the high premium status of the maiden ABC, the Nigeria Football Federation revealed that the competition had received FIFA approval via a release on Thursday through Ademola Olajire, the NFF media spokesperson.
The release contained a FIFA communication signed by Gordon Savic, head of Qualifiers and International Matches which stated: “In accordance with the article 7 of the regulations, FIFA is happy to provide official authorization for this women’s tier 1 tournament…we hereby remind the participating teams that the Laws of the Game must strictly be applied to these tier-1 matches.
“Finally, we would also like to draw your attention to the contents of FIFA’s circular no.1735 of 1st October 2020. The strict application of the FIFA’s Return to Football – International Match Protocol (IMP), or an equivalent protocol of your confederation compliant with the said Protocol, is required.”
The Local Organising Committee LOC also received some support from the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare when they visited him at his office with a cash donation of the sum of N50 million to ensure the success of the competition.
The Minister’s support was on fulfillment of a promise he made to see to the smooth organising of the maiden edition. He said “I knew you started all these with little or no funds, but seeing how much progress you have made and positive strides you have taken showed me that you are miracle workers.
“I have read a lot about what you have done even when I was at the Olympics. When the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick told me of the plans to stage the competition, the first question I asked him was if he had enough time to see it through.
“He said yes and I promised to lend him my support hundred percent. I’m glad that the event is now a reality, the competition will not only excite and inspire our people, it will also unite us.
“Whatever will unite people has the full support of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, so my support is total, especially since it has to do with women’s football.
He finished by saying: “FIFA is unapologetic about the development of the women’s game, the competition is going to attract more women to football.”
Already, the invited countries have begun their preparations to challenge the Super Falcons’ domination of female football on the continent. They have invited their best names into their squads to ensure they present their strongest stance.
According to the draw for the ABC, the Super Falcons will square up against the Atlas Lionesses of Morocco and Les Aiglonnes of Mali in Group A of the tournament. The Falcons were spared the much stiffer Group B competition between the Black Queens of Ghana, the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon and Banyana Banyana of South Africa.
Emerging from the group may be the easiest part for the Randy Waldrum squad but avoiding complacency throughout the competition will be the best policy for the Super Falcons as female football continues to progress at a rapid pace across the continent.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
