Flamingos of Nigeria head coach Bankole Olowookere has vowed that his side will not let the country down when they face Algeria in Blida on Friday.
The Nigerian girls are looking to seal their passage to the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after beating the Algerians 4-0 in Ikenne-Remo on Saturday in the first leg of their final qualifying round tie.
The Flamingos are seeking an eighth appearance in the competition as they take on Algeria in the chilly Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida (outside Algiers) on Friday night.
The Federation Algerienne de Football (FAF) has scheduled the match to kick off at 8pm, at a time that the winds will begin to blow in stronger from the Mediterranean Sea.
However, the Flamingos, who arrived in Algiers in the early hours of Wednesday aboard a Turkish Airline flight from Istanbul, are highly inspired by the prospects of another FIFA World Cup ticket as well as further financial windfall from the Nigeria Football Federation and billionaire businessman Kunle Soname.
Soname gifted the young players and their officials N4million (N1m naira for every goal) following their commanding win over the North Africans at the Remo Stars Stadium on Saturday, while the NFF gave out N2m (N50,000 for every goal).
NFF President Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau and Soname have both confirmed that the same financial incentives are in place for the second leg in Blida on Friday.
“Our objective is clear – to win the FIFA World Cup ticket. That is the big motivation. Yet, we have been further incentivized by the monetary rewards. My girls will go all out on Friday night,” Olowookere said.
Olowookere, who led the Flamingos to their last two World Cup appearances, will most likely rely on first-leg two-goal heroine Queen Joseph, lone-goal scorer Zainab Raji and Kaosarat Olanrewaju to start at the fore, with Shakirat Moshood, Muinat Rotimi and Philomena Isaiah supplying the passes from the midfield.
Goalkeeper and captain Christiana Uzoma and defenders Azeezat Oduntan, Hannah Ibrahim, Christiana Sunday and Jumai Adebayo are also likely to start.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has named Cameroonian official Marie Noelle Etong as the referee, with her compatriots Marcelle Teikeu and Innocentia Ntangti as assistant referee 1 and fourth official respectively, while Chadian Ngarassoum Victorine will be assistant referee 2.
Oumou Souleymane Kane from Mauritania will be commissioner and Sabelo Maphosa-Sibindi from Zimbabwe will be in the role of referee assessor.
