Nigeria’s Super Falcons: Giants At Home, Lilliputians Abroad

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As team vow to re-write history

In this piece, AKINBOBOLA AKINWUMI examines the recent performance of the Super Falcons at the just-concluded AWCON Nations Cup in Ghana viz-a –viz the upcoming  World Cup in France and proffers solution on the way forward for the team.

Without any doubt, Nigeria’s Super Falcons have ruled the continent’s women football scene in the last two decades like a colossus, not missing out on qualification for the World Cup and the Olympics since then.

But, interestingly, they have been perennial under-achievers when it comes to the global stage, with the last FIFA Women’s World Cup  as a classic testimony of “a giant at home, mere lilliputian abroad”.

The Nine –time African champions is one of only seven countries to have qualified for and participated in all previous seven editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and all seven have also qualified for France 2019. The others are Brazil, United States of America, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Japan. The Super Falcons reached the quarter finals of the World Cup in the USA in 1999.

The Super Falcons won the first seven African Championship on a trot and through their first twenty years lost only five games to African opposition.

The Super Falcons have been unable to dominate beyond Africa in such arenas as the FIFA Women’s World Cup or the Olympic Games. In 2003, the Super Falcons turned out to be the biggest disappointment of the first round, failing to score a single goal and losing all three Group A matches. They did little better in 2007, drawing only one of their Group B matches, it was the same sad tales in the subsequent editions of the mundial.

The World Cup which was initiated by former FIFA President Joao Havelange  has definitely grown in leaps and bounds over the years, with USA, Norway, Germany  and Japan dominating the podium on big occasions.

USA and Germany have won the trophy on three occasion each (1991 and 1999, and 2003 and 2007 respectively), withwith the German the first team to successfully defend the title when they overcame Brazil in the 2007 final in China .

The team’s dismal performances at the world stage date back to the Falcons’ maiden appearance at the mundial  in 1991 where they lost all their three matches in China, with the USA winning the maiden edition .

Since then the trend has continued unabated at the subsequent edition of the competition with Falcons not been a good ambassadors of the continent.

Falcons clay feet over the years have been attributed to myriads of hydra-headed problems bedeviling the team over the years, with no proper female league in the country, female soccer still in embryonic stage in the continent and no adequate structures.

Due to the success of the previous editions, FIFA expanded the 1999 World Cup in the USA to 16 teams with Africa being represented by Nigeria and Ghana .

However, up till date, the 1999 finals remains Nigeria’s best appearance with the Falcons winning two matches, when it beat North Korea 2-1 and Denmark 2-0 to finish second and advance to the World Cup’s quarter-finals.

In perhaps the most entertaining game of the competition, and with three goals  behind, the Mercy Akide-inspired Falcons came back to tie 3-3 with Brazil before a  golden goal sent them packing.

Perhaps it is noteworthy to state that this feat is however yet to be surpassed  by any African team, which is nonetheless a credit to the Falcons.

But, instead of building on the success recorded in 1999, a lot of negative results set in with rancour, poor selection, internal wrangling, sex scandal coming to the fore to set the stage in the team.

Therefore, when the team returned to the USA for the 2003 World Cup, the Falcons  failed woefully to live up to expectations, losing 0-3 to North Korea, 0-5 to the hosts and 0-3 to Sweden in Group A.

The competition in a way thus signified the beginning of the team’s perennial slide from  the previous height attained.

However, in-depth analysis indicates that several factors are responsible for the team’s dismal performances over the years.

These are poor selection, favouritism and poor motivation, as well as lack of technical depth, technique and fitness, among other factors .

Reflecting on the team’s disastrous outing over the years, female soccer  coach Daniel Akpobio attributed it to the failure of the team’s head coach to listen to advice

Several female football lovers are also of the opinion that “the Falcons’ preparation for the World Cup was nothing to write home about”.

A former handler of the team,Sam Okpodu, said “until the team is properly restructured, there is no hope for the country.”

The team’s poor tactical vision, incoherent play, lack of fitness level, lack of discipline and depth in good positional play forced the Nigeria Football Federation  to hire a Swedish trainer, Thomas Dennerby for the team with the Federation coughing out a whopping $21,000 (about N7.3m) every month.

In addition to this, several of the players claiming to be professional footballers outside the shores of the country are not simply giving Nigerians a good idea of their situation.

The truth is that most of them are mere factory workers in Europe.

Basic technical issues remain, with passes over two or three yards misplaced with consistent regularity.

Poor decision-making characterised all aspects of Falcons’  game, with players unable to understand proper spacing on the pitch.

Repeated struggle with ball control was generally the hallmark of the once-glamorous team in Africa.

So, what lessons have we learnt, and especially in the face of upcoming tougher opposition ?

There is need to turn around the fortunes of female football around if we are to move beyond the mediocre performance at the international stage. All necessary incentives to make the team succeed should be given the team.

Coach Ladan Bosso proffered a solution.

“In every sporting game, there is no antidote to hardwork, commitment, meticulous planning and a thorough execution, with a good motivation of the players,” he said.

The lessons to be learnt therefore include perseverance, commitment, willpower, ruggedness and determination to succeed, no matter the situation.

These are virtues that should be inculcated in the Super Falcons.

However, Super Falcons head coach, Thomas Dennerby, is not perturb about the ‘mere Lilliputian tag’ by insisting that  his team have a good chance of making it beyond the group stage at the next year’s World Cup in France despite being in a tough Group A with hosts France, Norway and Korea Republic.

The draw ceremony for the 2019 Women’s World Cup tournament took place on Saturday in Paris.

But Dennerby, a Swede, is confident his team can scale through the hurdle and progress further in the competition.

“I think we have a good chance to get to the knock-out stage,”  Dennerby said.

 

“We must beat Norway before we can get into the group stage”

Several of the players are also enthusiastic of a good outing in France, Asisat Oshoala opines that ‘in football anything is possible. We are a team in progress and we will surely spring surprises during the World Cup”

NFF President ,Amaju Melvin Pinnick was quite optimistic of good outing in France. Speaking to our correspondent after the draws on Saturday in France, he disclosed that all hands are on deck to make sure that the team had a very good preparation by playing Grade A friendlies matches and participating in quality tournament in China and Korea Republic to toughen the girls ahead of the competition.

The Nigerian ladies will begin their France 2019 campaign against Korea Republic on Saturday, June 8 at the Stade Auguste-Delaune, Reims.

Their next fixture will be against Norway on Wednesday, June 12 at the Stade des Alpes, Grenoble.

Whether the team will be able to re-write history or not the country as a matter of urgency through the NFF should evolve a football philosophy of its own like Brazil and other top football nations.

Until such is done, the Falcons will just be like mere passersby at subsequent editions of the World Cup.

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