By Akinwale Kasali
African Women Cup of Nations defending Champion, Super Falcons of Nigeria is set to defend its AWCON title and qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women World Cup to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
To achieve this feat, Super Falcons Coach, Randy Waldrum, has come out with a 32-Player list which will be pruned to 25-Players that will represent Nigeria at the AWCON tournament in Morocco in July 2022.
Former Captain of the Super Falcons, Onome Ebi, Asisat Oshoala and Francisca Ordega are among 32 players billed to storm Morocco for a a two-week training camp ahead of the 12th Women Africa Cup of Nations scheduled for the North African country from July 2 to 23, 2022.
Also on the list released by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are Chiamaka Nnadozie (goalkeeper), midfielders Rasheedat Ajibade, Toni Payne and forward Desire Oparanozie.
The NFF disclosed that the training camp would begin on June 18, with all players already advised to arrive in Rabat on June 17.
Nine-time champions, Nigeria, will play in Group C of the 12-team tournament alongside South Africa’s Banyana Banyana, Botswana and Burundi. Nigeria’s first match of the competition, at which Africa’s four flagbearers to next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will emerge, is against the Banyana at the Complexe Sportif Prince Abdellah in Rabat on July 4.
The full list of players includes; goalkeepers Nnadozie (Paris FC, France); Tochukwu Oluehi (Maccabi Kishronot Hadera, Israel); Rita Akarekor (Nasarawa Amazons) and Yewande Balogun (Coppermine United, U.S.).
The defenders are Opeyemi Sunday (Edo Queens); Glory Ogbonna (Santa Teresa FC, Spain); Ebi (En Avant Guingamp, France); Osinachi Ohale (Deportivo Alaves, Spain); Ugochi Emenayo (Konak Belediyespor Izmir, Turkey); Ashleigh Plumptre (Leicester City, England); Nicole Payne (West Virginia University, U.S.); Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash, U.S.) and Akudo Ogbonna (Edo Queens).
Peace Efih (Kiryat Gat, Israel); Amanda Uju Mbadi (Atasehir Belediyespor, Turkey); Halimatu Ayinde (Eskilstuna FC, Sweden); Charity Adule (Deportivo La Coruna, Spain); Toni Oyedupe Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain); Regina Otu (Minsk FC, Belarus); Christy Ucheibe (SL Benfica, Portugal); Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid, Spain); Rita Chikwelu (Madrid CFF, Spain) and Suliat Abideen (Edo Queens) are the midfielders.
Others are; forwards are Anam Imo (Pitea IF, Sweden); Ordega (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Desire Oparanozie (Wuhan Chegu Jianghan, China); Vivian Ikechukwu (WFC Gintra, Lithuania); Chinonyerem Macleans (GSK Gornik Leczna, Poland); Chinwendu Ihezuo (Meizhou Hakka Club, China); Ifeoma Onumonu (NY/NJ Gotham FC, USA); Uchenna Kanu (Tigres Femenil, Mexico) and Oshoala (FC Barcelona, Spain).
