Head Coach Justine Madugu has invited captain Rasheedat Ajibade, goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie and 23 other players for the two international friendly matches planned for nine-time African champions, Super Falcons against their Algerian counterparts in Lagos at the end of this month.
The matches are billed for the picturesque Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Lagos Island on Saturday, 26th October and Tuesday, 29th October respectively.
It is the first time that the Falcons are playing international friendly matches on home soil since the Aisha Buhari Invitational Tournament which was held at the same venue three years ago. Before then, they hosted the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon at the NFF/FIFA Goal Project, Abuja in 2014.
Madugu has also called Turkey-based defender Oluwatosin Demehin, Comfort Folorunsho of Edo Queens, Spain-based Gift Monday and a long list of home-based professionals and a couple of Falconets who featured at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia last month.
It will be the first re-grouping of the Super Falcons since the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament in France in the summer, and following the departure of American trainer Randy Waldrum.
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The Algerian delegation is expected in Nigeria on Wednesday.
The Confederation of African Football has already approved the two games, which will be superintended by FIFA match officials from Benin Republic.
SUPER FALCONS TO PLAY ALGERIA
Goalkeepers: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC, France); Monle Oyono (Edo Queens); Rachael Unachukwu (Nasarawa Amazons)
Defenders: Chidinma Okeke (Club America, Mexico); Oluwatosin Demehin (Galatasaray Sportive FC, Turkey); Miracle Usani (Edo Queens); Florence Alexander (Bayelsa Queens); Blessing Ilivieda (Edo Queens); Sikiratu Isa (Nasarawa Amazons); Comfort Folorunsho (Edo Queens); Tessy Ojiyovwi (Nasarawa Amazons); Chidinma Ogbuchi (FC Robo Queens)
Midfielders: Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid, Spain); Esther Onyenezide (Hapoel Katamon, Israel); Shukurat Oladipo (FC Robo Queens); Chioma Olise (Edo Queens); Josephine Matthias (Nasarawa Amazons); Amarachi Odoma (Edo Queens)
Forwards: Gift Monday (UDG Tenerife, Spain); Goodness Osigwe (Edo Queens); Janet Akekoromowei (Nasarawa Amazons); Delight Nwosu (Bayelsa Queens); Folashade Ijamilusi (Edo Queens); Mercy Omokwo (Bayelsa Queens); Olamide Bolaji (Remo Stars Ladies)
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20 Comments
I hope this list is as a result of friendlies just to test some exciting youngsters. Madugu has my full support and must prove the low self esteem fellows who wrote him off despite his stellar performance when Randy was away the last time.
Hahahaha…..Madugu would use Algeria to prove himself…..LMAOoo ?
Can you see how senseless you are…..?!
Of all the countries the NFF could organize friendlies with in Africa and the World at large…..they wisely chose the type of low grade, low profile, low strength, low opposition teams the suit Madugu…LMAOoo.
The type of teams against which we have seen him produce “stellar performances”….A team that struggles to qualify for AWCON and has only won 2 out of 15 AWCON games in all the 5 AWCONS they’ve ever qualified for….LMAOooo
Otherwise, I dont understand why we should be engaging Algeria in friendlies when the likes of Ghana, Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire are just a stone throw away.
Lol. “Confidence booster” to create illusion of competing at the highest level next year – until downhill sets in and it is too late. Anyway, it’s their cup of tea as if they are using their father’s money to manage our national teams. Let them enjoy their pyrrhic victory until the centre can no longer hold.
We Shall See!!!
Reflection PT 1
One thing that instantly juts in this list from Justin Madugu is the absence of dual nationality players.
Yes, I understand this is a low grade, low profile friendly against and average Algeria on 26th October and 29th October respectively. However, to include foreign based players and exclude foreign born players calls for scrutiny.
It can be argued that Randy Waldrum (at times) favoured more dual nationality players where homegrown ones were more suitable or more fit. But to release a list with zero dual nationality players is not in keeping with the times.
@DEO, no need to ponder what Coach Madugu’s “motivation” is for the list…
The NFF chair was clear when these games were being organized (and subsequently announced) a while back that it would be primarily for HOME-BASED players -which itself is a dodgy proposition given that domestic league players has been on hiatus since the end of last season. Accordingly, that a handful of foreign-based players had been called up is actually the surprising bit (albeit I can see why someone like Onyenezide would be invited, as we seriously need to get her involved more prominently with the Super Falcons asap – especially as we would hopefully be moving away from Randy Waldrum’s 3-DM prevent-offense “goal-less” formation ).
Meanwhile, I see that our resident Witchdoctor and his boyfriend expects that we would hurriedly assemble a random collection of players on extend break, who’ve never played (or even trained) together as a team or unit, for 2 or 3 days of training and take them to go play Spain of the US, in the forlorn hope that the gruel that the Randy one served us as we collectively suffered through the tortious agony of a RECORD SEVEN CONSECUTIVE DEFEATS might not look as HORRIBLE as it really was. SMDH
Lol he never sees the positive in Nigerian coaches, meanwhile our best falcons records had Nigeria coaches written over it. Infact it was the foreign coaches who started losing WAFCON titles that we used to sweep without stress those days when Nigerian coaches was at the helm. But today all we hear is no minnows anymore but when Magudu defeated a very talented and well organised Ethiopian side this masquerade downplayed it calling them minnows. But when those white coaches loose the minnows tag is justified.
I thank God I’m not the only person noting down some serious serious hypocrisy going on in the forum. Dr Egungu will seriously be looking for the downfall of this coach but he will be put to shame plus all his nonsense negative football analogy he falsely conjured against Nigeria Women coaches!!!
Reflection PT 2
I think some dual nationality players may currently be outstaying their usefulness.
Michelle Alozie to me had a wretched Olympic and is showing marked decline as a full-back. Ifeoma Onumonu is never a winger in my books and should never be invited to fill that post. Even as a centre forward, I will pick many others ahead of her. I never felt left back was Ashleigh Plumptre’s best position as Halimat Ayinde had to bail her out severally in the world cup. If there is no space for her in centre back, then one has to question her invitation.
Having said all that, at 16 years old, I don’t think Ireland born Simone Adebowale Riley will be out of place as a Super Falcons invitee; the young lade is chomping at the bit to represent Nigeria at any level and a low grade friendly will provide valuable platform to groom her. Afterall one Desire Oparanozie was just 16 years old during the qualifiers for the 2011 world cup where she confidently and competently led the lines for Nigeria.
Hehehehe….Deo, I doff my hat for your oil-deep level optimism at expecting a player who was deemed not good enough for both our U20s and U17s getting a call up to the Senior squad.
If I hadnt seen clips of that girl and her deft and highly technical abilities on the ball as an attacking player despite her young age, I would have been tempted enough to think she indeed is not good enough for Nigeria.
Clips ko, clippers ni….LMAOOO
@DEO, ultimately EVERY player “outstays (or outlives) their usefulness” – regardless of where they were born (or how many nationalities they have)!
While I don’t consider you among the INFERIORITY COMPLEX CLAN (or is it clowns?) on this forum, but we should be treating all NIGERIAN players EQUALLY. Accordingly, I personally wouldn’t have taken a struggling (at club level) Ify Onumonu to the Olympics. But then again, neither would I have taken Chinagorom McCleans (as for Michelle, she’s always been consistently inconsistent). Nevertheless, it’s the coach’s neck, so I would always defer to Waldrum’s selections (even if bemused by it). But of course, if it was an indigenous Nigerian coach, the INFERIORITY COMPLEX CABAL here would have screamed “corruption”!
Rightly said again, and to think of it this list is very solid and will give exposure to a lot of our exciting youngsters. I will prefer to see the positives here than dwell in negativity just because my skin colour is the coach. Lol good to hear some truth.
OR
Maybe it has nothing to do with being dual citizen or what not.
Maybe he’s just picking players based on availability and recognition as, apart from 3, most are homebased players. Maybe, he’s being proactive and building a new team, as it is quite obvious that some members of the current team need to be replaced.
Whatever the case maybe, this is a good call. Hopefully, we get positives from this.
Unless one resides in his brain, nobody can be certain what Madugu’s motivation for this list is.
However you want to slice it, I think, in future, if the match is worthy of foreign based players to be invited, i respectably submit that it will send the wrong signals if we slam the door at foreign born or dual nationality players who may have been born in Nigeria but raised largely abroad.
Six players from abroad were still invited, many of who are well-proven professionals at the highest stage.
What will help is if a journalist put the question to the coach to allow one to glimpse at the inner workings of his selection brain.
‘What will help is if a journalist put the question to the coach to allow one to glimpse at the inner workings of his selection brain.’
@Deo
Totally agree with this submission. But when was the last time a Nigerian Journalist asked an incisive question? So wouldn’t be holding my breath on that. All we have is our assumptions, opinions and breakdowns.
For me, as always, I will always support the best to be invited, no matter who or where, as long they are available and keen to represent. We should always go for quality that merit that call up, it is the only way we can really succeed and sustain such.
From coaching, staff, administrators, leaders, players etc.; Merit, quality and the Best should always take precedence.
The above list of players should be tested against the likes of South Africa or Egypt or even Morocco whose women’s leagues are slightly ahead of ours in terms of quality. I honestly see this as a false dawn cos the intentions are ok but this approach is a bit flawed. I remember when the late gr8 Steve Keshi was SE coach he would always pit his home based boys mixed with the unheralded foreign based pros against the likes of Mexico,Peru and Italy. NFF should set a solid and proper benchmark for our coaches to further improve our football not this so called “baby steps” nonsense.
“The NFF chair was clear when these games were being organized (and subsequently announced) a while back that it would be primarily for HOME-BASED players -which itself is a dodgy proposition given that domestic league players has been on hiatus since the end of last season” LIES!!! If the match is predominantly for the home based players, how come the captain Ajibade, Chiamaka, and other foreign based players still in the squad. if Deo’s assertion to you seems hypocritical, then I guess you are not realistic analyst as your name unfortunately suggests.
I am not quoting Deo as hypocritical, there’s a dude called Egungu he knows himself he’s the chief in staff of low self esteem on this forum.
I am not quoting Deo as hypocritical, there’s a dude called Egungu he knows himself he’s the chief of staff ruling the low self esteem association on this forum.
Deo’s view is born out of sincerity, unlike the weird masquerade who’s waiting for bad news from the day Waldrum stepped down because he doesn’t believe in his black self so other black coaches will fail in life like him.