• Falcons Battle Mali For Bronze At WAFU Cup
United States-based ex-international, Francis Monidafe has advised the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to sort out all financial issues that could cause distractions in the Super Eagles camp before the team’s departure to Russia 2018 World Cup.
Monidafe, a great player in the 1970s and 80s, arrived Lagos few days ago. He told The Guardian yesterday that though he had not been following the team’s preparation for the World Cup, but noted that one major issue to be tackled by the football house before the mundial was financial obligations to the players.
“Importantly, financial arrangements for the players should be solidified by the NFF to avoid trouble during the World Cup,” Monidafe stated in a message to The Guardian yesterday.
In his playing days, Monidafe was a member of the all-conquering Bendel Insurance squad that defeated Enugu Rangers in the final of the 1978 Challenge Cup in Lagos. He went on to feature for the then Green Eagles from 1978 till early 1980s.
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Monidafe also spoke on some other issues concerning the nation’s football yesterday, particularly the decision by the NFF to hire expatriate coaches for the national women team, the Super Falcons. “Our women coaches have done very well and I don’t see the need for hiring of foreign coaches. But I guess the NFF has its reason for hiring them.”
Meanwhile, the Super Falcons will today trade tackles with their counterparts from Mali for the classification match of the on-going WAFU Women Cup of Nations in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
The eight –time African champions’ march to the final was halted by Ghana’s Black Queens on Thursday, after the Queens prevailed through the lottery of penalty shootout following an entertaining 1-1 draw at the Treichville Stadium.
Alice Ogebe shot Nigeria in front after only eight minutes but Faustina Ampah drew Ghana level nine minutes later, and both teams thereafter failed to put the ball in the net despite interesting opportunities.
To reach the semi finals, the reigning African champions piped Mali 1-0 in their opening match, and then thrashed Senegal 3-0 and Togo 3-1, with U20 team ace Rasheedat Ajibade, winner of the Young Player of the Year (women) gong at the AITEO-NFF Football Awards, bagging four of the seven goals.
Source: G Sport
