27th July, 2014
Nigeria’s Falconets, arrived Canada on Sunday for their training tour ahead of the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, which the country is hosting.
The second batch of 14 players and six officials landed at Moncton Airport at 12:15 a.m. (7:15 a.m. Nigerian time).
According to the Media Officer of the Falconets, Elizabeth Carr, the team are camped at Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts Down Town Moncton and will be there till 1 August. The World Cup holds between 5 and 24 August.
Addressing the team, Chief Technical Officer of Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Siji Lagunju, charged the team to be more focused in their training for positive results.
“You have to put behind you all that had happened in the NFF and concentrate on how to win the World Cup. Your training tour was cut short because of the crisis at the NFF, but that does not mean you should relax. You should see it as an opportunity for you to justify your stay in camp. I urge you to aim towards lifting the trophy,” Lagunju said.
Nigeria, he stated, have never dropped out in the group stage of this competition in the previous editions and this year must not be different. “We are here to win and that we must do.”
In the meantime, the only professional player invited to camp, Courtney Dike has joined the team from her base in USA. The player came in on Saturday and she has vowed to fully integrate with her teammates.
Currently there are 22 players in camp with the inclusion of Eyebhoria Winifred of Pelican Stars.