SEVERAL key players including Osinachi Ohale, Christy Ucheibe and Halimatu Ayinde have been ruled out of the Super Falcons’ Paris 2024 Olympic qualifying tie against Ethiopia, with Esther Onyenezide replacing one of them.
Midfielder Onyenezide, who was impressive at last year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica as Nigeria reached the quarter-finals, has been drafted in to replace 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup star Ayinde in the tie.
The first leg is billed for Wednesday in Addis Ababa, with the return leg in Abuja on Tuesday next week.
According to the Nigeria Football Federation, the delegation of home-based players and technical and backroom staff from Nigeria flew into Addis Ababa yesterday for the first leg at the Abebe Bekila Stadium, and the foreign-based players have started arriving as well.
Midfielder Regina Otu, who missed the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in the summer, is also out.
The winners of the tie on aggregate will face the winners of the fixture between Cameroon and Uganda. The Indomitable Lionesses drew a bye, while Uganda edged past Rwanda 4-3 on aggregate.
Ethiopia are obvious underdogs against nine-time African champions Nigeria but the Eastern Africans smashed Chad 10-0 in the first round of the qualifying series in July, winning the first leg 6-0 at home before completing the rout with a 4-0 victory in N’Djamena.
The Confederation of African Football has appointed Lamia Atman from Algeria as the referee for Wednesday’s encounter, with her compatriots Asma Feriel Ouahab, Sara Kemmad and Ghada Mehat as assistant referee 1, assistant referee 2 and fourth official respectively.
For the return leg next week at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, Edoh Kindedji from Togo will be the referee, with her compatriots Abra Sitsofe Agbedanou and Kossiwa Kayigan Awoutey as assistant referee 1 and assistant referee 2 respectively. Yacine Samassa from Mauritania will be the fourth official.
SUPER FALCONS SQUAD TO FACE ETHIOPIA
GOALKEEPERS:
Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC); Tochukwu Oluehi (Shualat Alsharqia FC, Saudi Arabia); Monle Oyono (Bayelsa Queens)
DEFENDERS:
Comfort Folorunsho (Edo Queens); Oluwatosin Demehin (Stade de Reims, France); Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash, USA); Nicole Payne (Paris Saint Germain, France); Jumoke Alani (Edo Queens); Rofiat Imuran (Stade de Reims, France)
MIDFIELDERS:
Esther Onyenezide (FC Robo Queens); Peace Efih (Sporting Club de Braga, Portugal); Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid FC, Spain); Toni Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain)
FORWARDS:
Omorinsola Babajide (Coasta Adeje Tenerife Egatesa, Spain); Ifeoma Onumonu (NY/NJ Gotham FC, USA); Asisat Oshoala (FC Barcelona Feminine, Spain); Uchenna Kanu (Racing Louisville, USA); Opeyemi Ajakaye (FC Robo Queens)
