The Nigeria U-17 women team known as Flamingoes takes on their Zambian counterpart today at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta for the second leg of their 2012 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Coach Peter Dedevbo has kept faith in his team that beat the Zambian girls 2-1 in Lusaka, Zambia a fortnight ago. Second half goals scored by Patience Okaeme and Halimat Ayinde kept Nigeria in pole position going into today’s game ahead of their visitors in the quest to grab one of Africa’s three tickets to this year’s World Cup finals in Azerbaijan.
Dedevbo in statement by the team press secretary, Gracious Akojobi, said his girls will not disappoint Nigerians as they take on the Zambians and commended the efforts of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in making sure he and his players lacked nothing during the period of qualifying matches.
“My bosses at the NFF have really done well since the commencement of our screening exercise and throughout the qualifiers. Despite the courts cases here and there, they still made sure my girls and I lacked nothing.”
The highly respected Senegalese FIFA woman referee, Fadouma Dia, has been confirmed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as the centre referee for the match. She will be supported by compatriots Die Alse Sylla and Adua Issue Cisse as first and second assistants of the match respectively while Amina Fall will serve as the 4th Official. The match commissioner of the encounter is Hilda Addah from Ghana.
In other African qualifiers for the 2012 FIFA U-17 World Cup also scheduled for this weekend, Gambia will take on Tunisia while South Africa, who managed a 0-0 draw with Ghanaian Princesses in the first leg in Johannesburg, are in for a tough duel in Accra.
The winners of the three matches will progress to the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women World Cup in Azerbaijan.