By : Dianabasi Effiong
20 Women’s Team, the Falconets, will begin a two-week final camping on Sunday in Bogota, Colombia, ahead of the FIFA Under 20 Women’s World Cup finals.
Ademola Olajire, the Director of Communications at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), made this known in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.
The Under 20 World Cup is scheduled for Columbia from Aug. 31 to Sept. 22.
The Falconets who defeated Tanzania and Burundi on an aggregate score, also made it to the semi-finals in Japan 12 years ago.
They made the quarter-finals in 2006, 2018, and 2022 and grabbed one of Africa’s tickets in the tournament’s final round.
The Coach Christopher Danjuma-led maidens spent four weeks in the first phase of their final camping in Abuja, during which they won a series of friendly games, losing only once.
”I want to thank the NFF for arranging the two-week camping in Colombia.
”This will go a long way to help the team, as the players will acclimatise very well and get familiar with their surroundings before the championship begins.
”I assure you that we will make the best use of this opportunity,” Danjuma told thenff.com on Saturday, hours before the team was due to fly out of the country to Istanbul aboard a Turkish Airlines flight en route to Bogota.
The Minister of Sports Development, Sen. John Owan-Enoh, who met with the team on Friday, charged them to go for the ultimate prize, having won the silver medals previously and being in the semi-finals once.
”Your predecessors have done well reaching the final of the competition on two occasions and making the semi-finals once.
”It is now time for you to take our country further by winning the trophy.
”I commend the NFF for arranging the two-week final camping for you in Colombia that will enable you to acclimatise very well before the tournament.
”The Government and the people of this great country are with you, and I am confident that you will not disappoint.,” he said.
NAN reports that the team is in Group D alongside Germany, Venezuela, and the Korean Republic.
Nigeria’s first match is against the Korean Republic at Estadio Metropolitano de Techo in Bogota on Sept. 1.
They will confront Germany three days later at the same venue.
Their final match of the group phase is against Venezuela at the Estadio Pascual Guerrero in Cali on Sept. 7.
With the field expanded to 24 teams, Africa now has four flag-bearers: Nigeria, Morocco, Cameroon, and Ghana.
Matches will take place in four venues in three different cities – Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali.
There will be two venues in Bogotá – Estadio El Campín and Estadio Metropolitano de Techo.
Other venues are the Estadio Atanasio Girardot in Medellín and the Estadio Pascual Guerrero in Cali.