The six-time African champions have experienced an uncharacteristic slump in form in recent years, failing to qualify for both the 10th All-Africa Games in Maputo in 2011 and the 2012 Olympic Games in London and slipping to fourth place (worst outing ever) at the African Women Championship in Equatorial Guinea in 2012.
“This is the right time for the Falcons to re-invent themselves. We pride ourselves on being the top team in Africa when it comes to women’s football, but the Falcons have been faring poorly in the past few years.
“Against Cameroon, they have to throw everything into it, to confirm that they are still the force they were known to be. They should use the match to announce to the rest of Africa that they are back,” Sanusi said on Monday. The former lecturer and author was particularly unimpressed by the Falcons in two losses to the U-17 and U-15 Boys’ National Teams in recent friendlies. The Falcons also lost 2-0 each in two friendly matches against world champions Japan in the Far East last year. Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses arrived in Nigeria through Lagos on Saturday and flew into Abuja on Sunday morning. The Lionesses stopped the Falcons from reaching the 2012 Olympic Games in London and also piped the Nigerians to the bronze medal at the 2012 African Women Championship in Equatorial Guinea.
“With the African Women Championship in Namibia also serving as the qualifying competition for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada, the time for the Falcons to rediscover their winning touch is now,” Sanusi concluded. Tuesday’s prestigeous encounter at the mainbowl of the National Stadium, Abuja will start at 4pm.
