Uche, Mabo Urge Falcons To Soar Higher

on November 02, 2014   /   in Sports 6:39 pm   /   Comments
By Eddie Akalonu
Former  national coaches, Eucharia Uche and Ismaila Mabo have lauded the Super Falcons for winning the African Women Championship in Namibia, just as both have also charged the team to aim higher at doing better at the FIFA World Cup in Canada next year.
Speaking to Sports vanguard, Uche, an ex-Falcon who has the record as first Nigeria female coach to win the Championship, said she was particularly happy at the way the players carried their game high during the championship such that ‘ab initio’ they were they were out to reclaim the cup lost in 2012 to Equatorial Guinea. Falcons’ victory gave Nigeria a seventh title.
“Well, I’m glad at the outcome.”I think they were focused, had high expectations and I think they can now put a ceiling of where to go and that to me is at the world cup next year. They should aim for the stars. We should not shy away from challenging for a top place in the world, she stated.. I think we should aim at going far in the finals of the world cup.
“My commendation to the coach and players not just for winning, but particularly for holding their heads high throughout the competition, I saw a team that played with determination and courage” There was no doubt they were out to do it,” she said.
Speaking in the same vein, Mabo, who had the privilege of handling the team in to a World Cup and Olympic games, praised the team for a job well done, saying :”I would praise the coach for doing a right mix of old and new, senior and junior players.
“However, I think we are now at an age to leave Africa and seek greater opportunity on the world stage. “If we set our mind to it, sustain the tempo of churning out new players who team up with the more experienced players and with good planning, I believe we are up to setting higher target of performance in the world stage,” he stated.
Meanwhile, both Uche and Mabo have also expressed full support for rewards to the team by the government; in the same manner they are calling on the NFF set the ball rolling now for the Falcons to have an outstanding World Cup next year in Canada, “This is just the beginning. We should regard our victory in Namibia as dress rehearsal for Canada. “First players owe themselves a duty to aim higher and get themselves ready because out there it is going to be tougher. That means there must be conscious effort to surpass our performance in past world Cup outings.” Mabo stated.

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