Monday 27 January 2014

Nigeria, Ghana finalise two-leg friendly fixture for U-17 female footballers


First leg of match takes place on February 2
The Nigeria Football Federation and the Ghana Football Association have finalised arrangements for a two-leg friendly fixture between the U-17 Women National Team of Nigeria, known as Flamingos, and their Ghanaian counterparts.
The Acting General Secretary of GFA, Emmanuel Gyimah, formally requested for the fixture through a letter dated January 23, and the NFF responded positively through another letter the following day, signed by General Secretary, Musa Amadu.
Both teams, alongside Zambia, have qualified to represent the African continent at the 4th FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup taking place in Costa Rica between March 15 and April 4.
“This is a very good thing and will certainly help the general preparation of our girls for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup,” noted Amadu.
The first leg of the international friendly fixture will take place at the National Stadium, Abuja on Sunday, February 2, with the return leg to be played at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, February 9.
It would be recalled that the Flamingoes, currently on a tour of some Nigeria states which has seen them play against top-rated clubs, qualified for the 4th FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup finals without kicking a ball, following the withdrawal of South Sudan.
Amadu disclosed on Monday that the NFF has made arrangements for adequate preparation of the Flamingoes to do the country proud at the showpiece in Costa Rica.
“The girls will return from their tour of the Federation to play the two-legged friendly fixture with Ghana, and then travel to Faro, Portugal for a three-week, final training camp before flying to Costa Rica for the final competition,” he said.
Bala Nikyu’s girls are expected to fly into Costa Rica on March 12 for the tournament kicking off on March 15. Nigeria plays Mexico, China and Colombia in Group D of the tournament, with her first match against the Chinese on March 16.

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