I Want To Add Value To Falcons

Kadiri Ikhana is the Head Coach of the national women  team, Super Falcons. In this interview with BIMBO AJAYI, the former Enyimba of Aba coach spoke about his plan for the team and other issues.

How do you feel about the low turn-out of the fans for this match?

I am not bothered at all that football fans in Nigeria don’t come out to stadium to watch women’s football. But I still have the belief that the fans will change over time and start trooping to the stadium to watch women’s football when it dawns on them that the players also have something to offer. As for me, I am really enjoying myself coaching a female team having seen it all coaching men for several years.

What should Nigerian fans expect from the team at the AWC?

Our desire from the outset was to qualify for the AWC and eventually win the cup. But in truth, we will not be doing anything new by winning the cup because Nigeria have won it several times. Consequently, our goal this time around is to add value to the team. And I know that we will surely have a very solid team as time goes on.

How do you intend to tackle the flaws in the team?

We have always made it clear from the outset that we are trying to build a new and stronger team. That was the reason we fielded a number of U-20 players in today’s match. We featured them today because we want to see them play in a competitive match at the senior level. Although we noticed some flaws from them in the course of the match but we hope to correct these lapses in subsequent games.

Why did you invite some old players for this match when you are on a rebuilding process?

There is no way we can build a solid team if we disregard totally the experienced players. We can’t wipe out the entire team just like that because we want to build a new team. I think the younger players still need to learn the ropes from the experienced players. That is why we are still retaining a few of these old players.

Which department of the team do you think needs urgent attention?

The whole team need overhauling. We will work on all the departments of the team. We have experienced players in each of the department and this will be an opportunity for these younger players to learn from the experienced players as we work on the entire team.

How do you feel coaching a national female side having coached male clubsides all your career?

It is a new experience for me despite the fact that I have been a coach for many years. In fact, I find it so interesting. I think it is fantastic that I am now coaching a women’s team having coached the men for years. It is like watching the second part of a film having watched the first part earlier.