Falcons Coach Calls 35 Players To Camp

As part of preparation for the Germany 2011 FIFA Women World Cup coming up in June, Chief Coach of Nigeria’s Super Falcons, Uche Eucharia, says she has invited 35 homed based players to camp.

The coach said that with the programme she submitted to Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, her team would begin camping for the World Cup by the first week of March in Abuja. Eucharia disclosed that the 35 players invited to camp are basically home based the bulk of whom come from the team that won the last Africa Women Championship held in South Africa.

She said the early camping will help her assess the fitness and how readiness they are for the World Cup, adding that that any player who is not fit will be dropped from the camp.

“The NFF has approved my programme and by the grace of God, the camp will be opened latest first week of March. We don’t have time to waste so the earlier the better. There will be no automatic shirt for any player. Players that fail to measure up to the standard we want will be dropped,” she said.

Asked if there is any friendly match line up for the team, Eucharia, a member of Super Falcons that played in the first Women World Cup at the China 1991, said there is no friendly match for the team at the moment, adding that only the NFF can organise friendly matches for her team.

“We are not going to play friendly match for now. Maybe, by the time the players are in camp, the NFF may organise quality friendly matches for us to put the players to test before the World Cup.

Eucharia, however, assured Nigerians that her team have what it takes to qualify from the Group A which comprises Germany, Canada and France.

—Sunday Akintoye