25th September, 2012
Super Falcons coach Kadiri Ikhana expects to call up at least eight players from abroad to join his squad in preparation for the African Women Championships, AWC, which will hold between October 28 and November 11 in Equatorial Guinea.
“I cannot confirm the number of foreign-based players that will be invited to camp. I am working closely with the technical department of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to ensure that we invite the best players.
“Players like Perpetua Nkwocha, Rita Chikwelu, and Onome Ebi will be invited alongside others. I think we will invite at least eight more players who play outside Nigeria to join those we have in camp now,” said Ikhana.
“We do not want to invite players just because they play in foreign leagues. We want to invite players who are in form and play regular competitive matches for their clubs.”
He added: “The tournament is just around the corner and we need to have the players join the team in camp at least three weeks to the tournament. We will most likely identify the players we need in a few days and write to their clubs this week so they can be released in time to join us.”
Ikhana was quick to add that he expects players to fight for the chance to be in his final team to participate in Africa’s biggest tournament for women, adding that no player is assured an automatic place in the final squad.
“The competition in the squad is very tough. Most of the ladies who play at home are very talented and want to make the team.”