8th AWC: ‘ Ivoirians, Team To Watch In Falcons Group’

The General Secretary,

Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Musa Amadu, has noted that Cote d’Ivoire and not Cameroon would be the team to fear at the upcoming African Women Championship (AWC).

Reacting to the recent draw, which pitted defending champions Nigeria with Ethiopia and the other two countries, Amadu said on Wednesday in Abuja that the Ivoirians could be more dangerous.

Nigeria’s Super Falcons were in Cairo, Egypt drawn in Group B of the 2012 AWC scheduled for Equatorial Guinea.

They will play the first group round of games against Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia and Cameroon at the competition scheduled for October 28 to November 11 in Malabo and Bata.

“It is really an interesting group, looking at the kind of opponents we have and with the fact that it looks like a mixed grill.

“However, I believe the team to fear are the Ivoirians who are coming with a good credential,’’ he said.

Amadu said Nigeria’s perennial rivals Cameroon, who ousted the Falcons from the 2012 Olympic Games qualifiers, could not be the only team Nigerians should be wary of in view of the Ivoirians’ credential.

“It is a fact that most Nigerians will think of Cameroon as our biggest rival in the group, but I think that it should be the Ivoirians.

“They beat Guinea 5-1 and 5-0 for a 10-1 aggregate in the preliminary round, and then Mozambique 5-0 and 7-0 for a 12-0 aggregate in the final qualification round.

“Such a team must be feared, and surely we have to do that,’’ he said.

The NFA General Secretary, however, acknowledged that the draw had presented the Falcons, who beat Zimbabwe 6-0 aggregate to qualify with a tough challenge.

He said Ethiopia and Cameroon would also pose a threat to the Falcons and the NFA would in anticipation of this prepare the team very well for the competition.

“It is going to be a tough one for us given this kind of opponents. But it is also a challenge to us that we must prepare very well.

“Ethiopia beat Egypt 6-4 and Tanzania home and away on a 3-1 aggregate to qualify, while Cameroon stopped Ghana after penalty kicks.

“This shows that if we must return with the trophy, we have to prepare very well for the competition, especially as the other group is also tough,’’ Amadu said.

Hosts Equatorial Guinea, who are the 2010 competition runners-up and 2008 winners as hosts, will face Olympic-bound South Africa, Senegal and DR Congo in Group A.

Amadu said he believed in good preparation being the key to a team’s success.

“The key to success for any team is good preparation and, if we (NFA) prepare the Falcons well, we will definitely retain the trophy,’’ he said.