Behold The Super Achievers….Super Falcons of 1998-2000 Set led by Coach Ismaila Mabo
The leadership of Female Football Interest Group (FFIG) has commended the senior women’s football team, Super Falcons for booking a ticket for the upcoming Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) billed for Morocco in July.
The 11-time Champions of Africa since 1991, defeated Les Femelles Elephantes (Lady Elephants) of Cote d’Ivoire 2-0 in Abuja and 1-0 in Abidjan to qualify for AWCON final on 3-0 aggregate score after two legs of the final round.
By this feat, Nigeria has become the only country in Africa to qualify for every women’s football competition in the continent since 1991 when the country defeated others to qualify for the first FIFA Women’s World Cup final in China in 1991.
Nigeria repeated the feat in 1995 to represent Africa in the second FIFA Women’s World Cup final in Sweden before the introduction of the Africa Women Championship (AWC) in 1998 now called AWCON.
However, FFIG leadership has commended the present generation of Super Falcons for maintaining the tradition of qualifying for every African women’s football competition.
In a statement signed by the Acting President of FFIG, Harry Awurumibe and Dapo Sotiminu, Secretary General, on behalf of the Executive Board and members of the Group both home and in the diaspora have promised not to rest in their oars in the development and promotion of women’s football in Nigeria and Africa.
Coach Edwin Okon. ..One of the women’s football club coaches who participated in the yearly FFIG Women’s Football Pre-season Tournament in Lagos in the good old days.
FFIG has been in the forefront of the development, promotion and administration of women’s football in Nigeria cum African continent since the late 1980s but became very prominent in the 1990s by organising annual women’s football competitions especially the popular FFIG All Stars Pre-season Tournament which produced ex-Super Falcons stars like Maureen Mmadu, Olaitan Yusuf, Effionwan Ekpo, Stella Mbachu among others.
The Group in collaboration with Pepsi/7Up staged regular friendly matches between the Super Falcons under Head Coach Ismaila Mabo and FFIG All Stars team at Obasanjo Farms field Ota, Ogun state; Liberty stadium Ibadan, Oyo state; U J Esuene Stadium Calabar, Cross River state and Oshogbo, Osun state prior to Nigeria’s excellent performance in the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup final in the United States of America (USA).
Prominent members of FFIG include Emma Njoku (Sun Newspapers); Toyin Ibitoye, ex-Super Eagles Media Officer; Onyewuchi Nwachukwu (The Nation); Dare Joseph (USA); Tonnie Okpara (Canada); Lorine Oyiwe; Caroline Nwankwo (England) and late FFIG President, Henrietta Ukaigwe aka ‘Worldwide President’.
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