National Institute for Sports (NIS) director-general and chief executive officer, Comrade Philip Shaibu, has called on Nigerian football fans to back the female national team, Super Falcons, with prayers, as they have a ‘second chance’ to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Sports247 reports that the Falcons will tango South Africa on Thursday in a play-off qualifier, after losing to Cameroon on Sunday at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, and Shaibu also urged the players not to lose hope about making it to Brazil 2027.
This was revealed by Shaibu’s special assistant on media, Ben Ogbemudia, who stated in a press release that the former deputy governor of Edo State made the call while reacting to the Falcons’ quarter-finals loss to Cameroon.
A 1-0 slump to The Lionesses means the Falcons not only failed to reach the WAFCON 2026 semi-finals in Morocco, but also that they could not pick a Women’s World Cup ticket for the first time since the competition started in 1991.
However, the global competition’s new qualification rules provide two additional routes for African teams towards making it to Brazil 2027, the first of which is this week’s play-off encounter versus South Africa.
As the Falcons will still have to scale through an intercontinental qualification stage even if they beat South Africa on Thursday, Shaibu conceded that Justine Madugu’s side needs a lot of prayers to overcome all odds.
He also pointed out that the Falcons are the most successful women’s team in Africa, having won the continental title a record 10 times, which is a strong pedigree he believes should serve as motivation for them rather than a burden.
The NIS boss also charged the team’s coaches and the entire technical crew not to allow their spirits become dampened by the loss, stating that setbacks are part of sports, while the ability to bounce back defines champions.
“The players must carry the never die Nigerian spirit into the crucial qualifier against South Africa. That same fighting attitude was responsible for Nigeria’s dominance in African women’s football over the years and must be replicated in the next match.
“Nigerians should also continue to support the girls. Rather than criticism, Nigerians should pray for them, and rally behind them, as they chase the World Cup ticket,” Shaibu advocated.
He also enthused that, with the right mindset and good preparation towards Thursday’s game, the Falcons will overcome South Africa and get their World Cup target back on track.
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