Soccer News of Tuesday, 26 July 2011

Source: raymond yeboah-sportsinghana.com

Super Falcons to play B.Queens in a friendly

THE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said it has lined up two friendly matches to prepare the Super Falcons for London 2012 Olympics final qualification game with the Camerounian female national team.

The Super Falcons, which decamped soon after its return from the just concluded FIFA women World Cup in Germany, where it was eliminated at the group stage, is expected to resume training in Abuja on August 1 for the final qualifier for the London 2012 Olympics.

NFF Deputy General Secretary, (Technical), Emmanuel Ikpeme, who confirmed this yesterday in Abuja, noted that the request for the friendly matches was part of the federation’s efforts to give the team adequate preparations to ensure that it qualifies for the London Games. Ikpeme said that Ghana and South Africa were chosen because of their antecedent in female football on the continent. “We have opened up discussions with the two countries for a possible friendly match to put the girls in top shape for the final London 2012 Olympics qualifying game against Cameroun,” he said.

“The team is also expected to resume training on August 1 in Abuja after break from the World Cup in Germany and we hope that the friendly matches will put the players in a proper shape to face Cameroun, as we hope to secure one of the African slots for the Olympic Games.”

Meanwhile, the NFF was yet to state the fate of the team’s German technical adviser, Thomas Obliers, whose six months contract with the Super Falcons expired at the end of the World Cup in Germany.

NFF Technical Committee Chairman, Chris Green, disclosed that the committee would take an appraisal of Oblier’s performance in the team at the World Cup before deciding whether his contract would be renewed or not.