NFF Deputy General Secretary, Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme has challenged Nigeria’s U17 girls, Flamingoes to go all out to win the 5th FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals holding in Jordan, 30th September – 21st October this year.
Ikpeme threw this challenge to the Flamingoes when he visited the team during its evening training session on Wednesday at the FIFA Goal Project Pitch, Abuja. He reminded the players that the country has never failed to qualify for the World Cup at this level, but that the team should surpass previous records of quarter –final berths by making it to the final and clinch the trophy.
“It’s no big deal to qualify for the World Cup because the Nigeria U17 girls always make it to the global stage. But it will be a big deal if you go to the World Cup and make a statement, excel greatly and make yourselves proud, make the NFF proud and make Nigeria as a country proud by winning the World Cup. I believe that if you are focused, you can do it. There should be no excuses for failure. As a champion team, you should never allow certain circumstances you might be facing in camp now deter you from achieving your goal.
“You have the responsibility to continue to work hard, be disciplined and you will definitely accomplish what no other women’s team has ever done in Nigeria and in the whole of Africa – winning the World Cup”.
The NFF deputy scribe further tasked the players to always encourage one another, feel free to express themselves on the field and aim to be outstanding, while citing some world leaders and footballers who had rough beginnings but never derailed in their quest for greatness.
He also assured that the NFF will afford the team all the support to excel at the World Cup. The players thanked him for his words of motivation and promised to rewrite history by winning the World Cup.
The Flamingoes will depart the country for Jordan on Monday, 26th September and take on Brazil in their first match on 1st October before further battles with England and Korea Democratic People’s Republic in the group phase.
