Super Falcons coach Justin Madugu says he will ‘maintain the injection’ of players from the Nigeria Women’s Football League into the Super Falcons as the team looks forward to the international friendly against France and other subsequent games, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Nigeria will play the French women’s national team in a high-profile friendly in France on Saturday, November 30, one month after facing Algeria in a two-legged affair in Ikenne and Lagos where the coach paraded more of home-based players.
Following the impressive performances of players like Edo Queens duo Folashade Ijamilusi, who scored a hat-trick against Algeria in Lagos and Goodness Osigwe, Madudu extended the invitation for the France game to five home-based players and noted it could have been more.
“I will maintain the injection of NWFL players into the team as we discover more quality and potential players in the local scene,” Madugu told PUNCH Sports Extra.
“It was a good performance by some of the home-based players who lived up to expectation considering the quality of players Algeria came with (about 16 professionals from top French clubs, Brazil, America and Saudi Arabia).”
“We will see quite a few of them for the game against France and if not for Edo Queens’ participation in the CAF women’s Champions League, the number would have been higher.”
According to the NFF, the Falcons will welcome the encounter as part of the process of blooding a new squad, as well as another test ahead of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco next summer.
The Falcons have been drawn in Group B of the 12-team tournament against Tunisia, Algeria and Botswana.
Madugu, who was put in charge of the team by the NFF in September, led the team through the tournament’s qualifying stages in 2023 before succeeding American coach Randy Waldrum who was absent over contract issues at then.
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