INIGERIA kuzomele isebenze kanzima ukuze idlulele esigabeni somkhumulajezi kwi-Fifa Women’s World Cup njengoba kufanele iphume kuGroup B onzima okuhlanganisa nezwe elingosokhaya i-Australia, Canada neRepublic of Ireland.
AmaSuper Falcons, akleliswe endaweni ka-40 emhlabeni, angelinye lamazwe amane azomela izwekazi i-Afrika eNdebeni yoMhlaba yalo nyaka ezoqala ngoLwesine e-Australia naseNew Zealand, ehambisana neNingizimu Afrika, iMorocco neZambia.
Akakaze angabi yingxenye yalo mqhudelwano kusukela ngo-1991. Ajwayele ukungena ehambela phezulu njengompetha base-Afrika kodwa kulokhu azobe engenalo lolo phaphe njengoba aqeda endaweni yesine kwiWomen’s Africa Cup of Nations eMorocco nyakenye.
Yize leli lizwe laseNtshonalanga ne-Afrika selidlale imiqhudelwano yeNdebe yoMhlaba eyisishiyagalombili phambilini, lisafinyelele esigabeni somkhumulajezi kabili kuphela, ngo-1999 lapho lafika khona kuma-quarterfinal, nango-2019 lapho lakhishwa khona kwiLast 16.
Leli qembu licijwa ngumqeqeshi wase-United States of America (USA), uRandy Waldrum, oseqeqeshe inqwaba yamaqembu ebhola labesifazane ezweni lakhe, wabuye wabamba izintambo kwelesizwe labesifazane laseTrinidad and Tobago kusukela ngo-2014 kuya ku-2016.
Ukaputeni ngu-Onome Obi (40) ozoba ngumdlali omdala kunabo bonke kule Ndebe yoMhlaba. Uzophinde elule irekhodi lakhe lokuba ngumdlali wase-Afrika osedlale eNdebeni yoMhlaba kaningi kunabo bonke njengoba lena kuzoba ngeyesithupha.
Kwabesilisa base-Afrika abahamba phambili nguSamuel Eto’o noRigobert Song baseCameroon, abadlale emiqhudelwaneni emine yoMhlaba ngamunye.
“Kuyesabeka, uma ngikhuluma iqiniso. Imidlalo yethu yokuqala emibili inzima kakhulu. Abantu abaningi bathi siseqoqweni elinzima kunawo wonke kule Ndebe yoMhlaba,” kusho uWaldrum kwi-website ye-Fifa.
Nokho uthembele kumgadli weBarcelona, u-Asisat Oshoala, ukuthi ahole iqembu bese nabanye beyameseka.
“Ungumdlali onekhono ngokwedlulele, ungumuntu olungile futhi oziphathisa okomdlali osezingeni eliphezulu. Uzifaka ngaphansi kwengcindezi enkulu ngoba uyayithanda iNigeria futhi ufuna iphumelele emhlabeni.”
Abanye abadlali okulindeleke ukuthi bakhe futhi bahlohle amagoli ngu-Uchenna Kanu odlalela iRacing Louisville yaseMelika, uDesire Oparanozie weWuhan Jianghan University yaseChina noRasheedat Ajibade ogijima kwi-Atletico Madrid yaseSpain.
AmaFalcons azovula neCanada ngoLwesihlanu ngo-4.30 ekuseni, abhekane ne-Australia ngoJulayi 27 bese evala neRepublic of Ireland ngoJulayi 31.
Amanye amaqembu aseqoqweni leNigeria
I-Australia
(esendaweni ka-10 emhlabeni)
Isiteketiso: Matildas
Umqeqeshi: Tony Gustavsson
Ukaputeni: Sam Kerr
Abadlali abayingozi: Sam Kerr, Kyah Simon, Emily van Egmond.
I-Canada
(esendaweni yesikhombisa emhlabeni)
Isiteketiso: L'Équipe
Umqeqeshi: Bev Priestman
Ukaputeni: Christine Sinclair
Abadlali abayingozi: Christine Sinclair, Ashley Lawrence, Julia Grosso.
I-Republic of Ireland
(esendaweni ka-22 emhlabeni)
Isiteketiso: Girls In Green
Umqeqeshi: Vera Pauw
Ukaputeni: Katie McCabe
Abadlali abayingozi: Katie McCabe, Aine O’Gorman, Denise O’Sullivan