Team leaves tomorrow

SUPER Eagles' 2-1 victory against Indomitable Lions of Cameroun in last Sunday's quarter final match at the ongoing 24th African Nations Cup in Tunisia has been described as an inspiration that is capable of spurring the Super Falcons to victory in this weekend's Athens 2004 Olympic Games qualifying match against the Black Queens of Ghana.

Head of the Falcons' technical crew, Ismaila Mabo told The Guardian in a telephone interview yesterday that the Falcons were super-charged with Eagles' qualification for the semi-final of the Nations Cup.

"The Falcons' camp in Ibadan here is like a mini-fiesta. We are all happy with Eagles' victory, especially, when it was against Cameroun. The players, after watching the Eagles in last Sunday's match, have vowed to play their part well by stopping Ghana when we meet in Accra this weekend. The atmosphere here now is super-charged. The Eagles have really done us proud," Mabo stated.

According to him, the Falcons have learnt some lessons from the first leg encounter played in Ibadan where the visiting Queens ran away with a 1-1 draw.

"We drew the first leg encounter not because the team did not play well, but as a result of ill-luck. The Falcons too did not show enough commitment to the match because we had so many chances that should have been converted. As the Eagles were playing against the Camerounian Lions last Sunday; the girls saw what determination and commitment on the side of players could do in a crucial match. Nigerians would see a different Falcons on Saturday," Mabo added.

Meanwhile, the Secretary General of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi is expected to meet with the team today in Ibadan.

Ogunjobi, who spoke with The Guardian in a telephone interview from Tunisia, venue of the Nations Cup at the weekend, expressed great shock at Falcons 1-1 draw with the Ghanaian Queens during the first leg encounter in Ibadan.

The Falcons are expected to leave for Accra tomorrow morning.

The winner of the Falcons versus Queens' tie will meet the winner of the clash between South Africa's Bayana Bayana and the Angolan female team for the sole African ticket for the Athens Olympic Games.

Bayana Bayana gave visiting Angolan female national team some bitter pills to swallow in their first leg encounter in Johannesburg with a 5-0 victory.

The second leg of their encounter comes up this weekend in Luanda.