Super Falcons star player Mercy Akide will
not feature at next month’s African Women’s Championship in South
Africa after she was overlooked along with several other members of the female
national team who shone at the ongoing Athens Olympics.
The former African Footballer of the Year
as well as experienced players like Stella Mbachu, Maureen Mmadu, Rita Nwadike
and Nkechi Egbe have been left out of a 28-person squad picked for training
camp in Abeokuta from Sunday.
However, seven players from Athens 2004
including goalkeeper Precious Dede, Effoianwan Ekpo, Perpetua Nkwocha and Vera
Okolo have been picked for the tournament in South Africa kicking offSeptember 15.
Coach Godwin Izilien is also to take charge
of the Falcons in place of Ismaila Mabo, who led the team at the Olympics where
they reached the quarterfinals.
Nigeria are defending champions and have
won the competition since it began in 1998.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Association
(NFA) have announced that the country’s Under-20 team, the Flying Eagles,
will resume training onSeptember
9 for their 2005 African Youth Championship qualifying match against Burkina
Faso. Nigeria is hosting the first leg onOctober 2.
Burkina Faso edged out Tunisia while
Nigeria walked over DR Congo.
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