We know how to handle Lionesses –Falcons coach

Falcons will be taking on the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon on Saturday in the London 2012 Olympic Games qualifier. How ready is your team? I think we are almost set for the match. We have some sections to complete where we want to finalise and come up with a line up for the important match. […]

Falcons will be taking on the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon on Saturday in the London 2012 Olympic Games qualifier. How ready is your team?

I think we are almost set for the match. We have some sections to complete where we want to finalise and come up with a line up for the important match. The girls are ready for the match. The spirit in camp is really high and we are confident we would beat our opponents. We have no injuries. The foreign based players were anxiously waiting for have all arrived and have since settled down. You can see by yourself that our preparation towards the match is on course.

Your team failed to qualify for the 2011 All Africa Games in Mozambique. What are you going to do to ensure that Falcons atone for that disappointment?

We know what happened the other time. It was not as if we did not want to qualify or chose to play badly. We lost the ticket for All Africa Games right here in Nigeria when we couldn’t make use of some of our key players against Ghana. Before we could realize it, it was too late. For this reason we do not want to repeat the same mistake. We are really getting ready for the clash against Cameroon because we know it is going to be a tough encounter. You can see the foreign based are here. The spirit is quite high. The camp is injury free. You can see that there is peace and unity in camp. We are working towards a collective goal and that is to pick the 2012 London Olympic ticket.

Anytime Nigeria plays against Cameroon, it is usually difficult beating them. What gives you the confidence that your team will beat the Lionesses?

Cameroon has always been there. From 1991 when I was still playing, it has always been a tug of war when it comes to playing Cameroon. Just like the Black Queens of Ghana, the Lionesses have always been our arch rivals. When it comes to football in Africa even in men side, Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria are always rivals. But we know how to handle them. I don’t think this time around it is going to be different. This is not to undermine the strength of our opponents. We know they also want to be in the Olympics and would not want to just surrender the ticket to us. But I want to say here that much as we are desirous of victory on Saturday, we are not ready to put the players under any form of pressure. We have explained to them the importance of winning convincingly and we believe they have understood us. They are professionals and should be able to handle any form of pressure that would inevitably come from Nigerian football fans.

How best do you think Nigerian football fans can help Falcons qualify for the 2012 Olympics?

I want to tell Nigerians that national teams are not private clubs. The teams are for all Nigerians and whenever we are playing, they should deem it necessary to come out and support us maximally. These teams are ours. Nigerians must come out en mass and support their girls against Cameroon. They should pray along with us so that we would use this very first leg to get the 2012 Olympics ticket.

Thank you coach and best of luck.

Thank you my brother.