Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board member, Alhaja Ayo Omidiran has motivated the female national team, Super Falcons with memories of how their predecessors lost a group match on home soil at the Africa Women Cup of Nations but still went on to win the trophy.
Omidiran, who is the NFF women football committee chairperson and ranking member of the House of Representatives, said the historic feat of 2002 can still be repeated at AWCON 2018, where the Falcons lost their opening match against South Africa.
However, sports247.ng reports that, heading into their second group match against Zambia, Omidiran went back into history to revive the players’ spirit and charged the Falcons to go for victory.
Speaking to the players after their training in Cape Coast on Tuesday, Omidiran said they should revive ‘The Never Say Die Nigeria Spirit’ and repeat the history of 2002 when they lost to Ghana’s Black Queens in the group stage, only to eventually beat the same team in the final.
She further said fans were shattered by the defeat because they have so much confidence in the Falcons, being the most successful national team from Nigeria in continental competition.
Omidiran recalled: “It’s not like you can’t do it. We believe you can. It is not the first time we are losing a group match at the Women Africa Cup of Nations.
“Remember in 2002 when we lost to Ghana, we saw it as an insult because we were playing at home.
“After that defeat, we went ahead to defeat every team we played and then defeated the Ghanaians in the final to lift the trophy. So, let history repeat itself”
“The reason why Nigerians are shattered is because we have so much confidence in you and you took things for granted.
“We all know that it will be a great pleasure for Nigerians if you pick the World Cup ticket and retain the trophy.”
