By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
The last batch of Super Falcons contingent to the 9th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals on Monday departed Nigeria’s shores for Australia for a two-week training and acclimatisation tour, 18 days before the start of the competition in Australia and New Zealand.
The first batch comprising some of the local coaches, backroom staff and World Cup-bound players left on Sunday from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja aboard Qatar Airways.
Among the players who departed in batches are home-based team captain Onome Ebi, Deborah Abiodun of Rivers Angels, first-choice goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, forward Desire Oparanozie, defender Glory Ogbonna and a handful of foreign-based who are holidaying in Nigeria.
Curiously, this is the first time Super Falcons are traveling in batches for the World Cup as the nation’s representatives have always travelled as a team until now, although the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) insiders said the bulk of the 23 players listed by Head Coach Randy Waldrum are living outside the country.
Meanwhile, the wife of Nigeria’s President, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu has charged the Senior Women National Team of Nigeria to pull efforts, talents and skills together and dominate at the 9th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand.
Tinubu threw this challenge to the nine-time African champions at a Send-Forth dinner held for them at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja on Saturday, less than 24 hours before the first batch of the team was due to depart Nigeria’s shores for a 15-day training camp in Down Under before the global spectacle kicks off.
