Canada 2015: Players fight for Falcons’ shirt

In a fit of survival-of-the-fittest, the ‘wardrobe’ of the Super Falcons has been thrown open to good female players to prove themselves as worthy ambassadors of Nigerian football. Every player will now struggle for her individual shirt.

The Super Falcons camp will begin to bubble from Monday, February 23, as the coach Edwin Okon-tutored side will start preparation for the 11th All Africa Games (AAG) qualifiers, the 2016 Olympic Games qualifiers and the 7th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals.

Already, 36 players made up of 10 foreign-based and 26 home-based have been invited to camp for the assignments, with Sunday, February 22 (today) as deadline to report at the Serob Legacy Hotel camp in Abuja with their training kits, international passports and birth certificates.

The team has an AAG qualifier away to Mali on March 22, with the return leg in Nigeria three weeks later, before it clashes with the same Malian side in May, in a 2016 Olympic Games qualifying fixture.

The Super Falcons have already qualified for the seventh FIFA Women’s World Cup finals billed for Canada from June 6 to July 5.

The full list of players invited to camp are: Faith Ikidi (Pitea IF, Sweden), Onome Ebi (FK Minsk, Belarus), Osinachi Ohale (Houston Dash, USA), Francisca Ordega (Pitea IF, Sweden), Onyinyechi Okere (Edo Queens), Alaba Jonathan (Pelican Stars), Christy Ohieriaku (Osun Babes), Ibubeleye Whyte (Rivers Angels), Precious Dede (Ibom Queens), Ugochi Njoku (Rivers Angels), Mariam Ibrahim (Nasarawa Amazons), Halimat Ayinde (Delta Queens), Ngozi Ebere (Rivers Angels), Onyinyechi Ohadugha (Rivers Angels), and Esther Sunday (Pelican Stars).

Others are: Chisom Henry (Sunshine Queens), Cecilia Nku (Rivers Angels), Desire Oparanozie (EN Avent De Guingamp), Josephine Chukwunonye (Rivers Angels), Asisat Oshoala (Liverpool Ladies), Ngozi Okobi (Delta Queens), Evelyn Nwabuoku (Rivers Angels), Chikodi Amaefuna (Edo Queens), Courtney Dike (Oklahoma State University, U.S.A.), Chinwendu Ihezuo (Pelican Stars), Patience Agbokadi (Sunshine Queens), Osarenoma Igbinovia (Ibom Queens), Blessing Edoho (Pelican Stars), Yetunde Adeboyejo (Bayelsa Queens), Uchechi Sunday (Belarus), and Sarah Nnodim (Delta Queens).

Ebere Okoye (Nasarawa Amazons), Sarah Michael (Kif Orebro, Sweden), Loveth Ayila (Rivers Angels), Ini Umotong (Portsmouth Ladies, UK) and Okewole Funke (Sunshine Queens) completed the list.