Super Falcons interim coach, Justin Madugu has listed six foreign-based professionals and Nigeria womens pre-season league highest goal scorer Janet Semenya who currently plays for Nasarawa Amazon for Nigeria’s upcoming friendlies against Algeria.

Janet who netted eight goals in four games for Nasarawa Amazon to become the leading and the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of Betty obaseki Pre-season Women’s League and win the tourney will feature for Nigeria in the international friendly games slated for Lagos.

Semenya In 2020 had represented Hallelujah Queens of Ikeja, Lagos, a youth football club, she later moved to Asisat Oshoala Academy girls on loan where she scored 28 goals in 12 games. She was also the leading goal scorer for the Nike sponsored academy during the Federation Cup until she moved to Nasarawa Amazon.

The overseas stars called up by Madugu are goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC), captain Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid), Deborah Abiodun (University of Pittsburg), Monday Gift (UD Tenerife) and Esther Onyenazide (Hapoel Katamon).

The players will prosecute the friendlies alongside their home-based counterparts.

The friendlies are slated for October 26 and October 29.

The two matches will be played at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos.

Nigeria and Algeria will use the friendlies to prepare for the 2024 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations.

Super Falconets striker, Janet Semenya, has been adjudge as the leading goal scorer and Most Valuable Player (MVP) at the just concluded Betsy Obaseki Women Football Tournament (BOWFT) in Benin City, Edo State, South-south Nigeria.

The lanky striker proudly called S9 scored eight goals in four games to become the leading goal scorer in the tournament.

Football fans and broadcasters, who watched the entire tournament, have called on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the handlers of the senior women’s team to include the World Cup player, who represented Nigeria at just concluded FIFA Under 20 World Cup in future Super Falcons squad.

Nasarawa Amazons were crowned champions of the 2024/25 Betsy Obaseki Womens Football Championship after a win over Bayelsa Queens in a penalty shootout in the final.

Semenya has featured for Hallelujah Ladies of Lagos, the defunct Asisat Oshoala Girls Academy, also in Lagos, but she recently joined Nasarawa Amazon for the 2024/25 league season.

Oyo State Government has thrown its weight behind the maiden edition of Pool Champions League, just as the winner of the tournament will be going home with a one-million-naira cash prize.

While speaking as special guest at a press conference held at the Ibadan Recreation Club, Sabo Area, Ibadan on Tuesday, The Chairman, Oyo State Agency for Youth Development, Prince Adebowale Falana declared the state government’s support for the inaugural Pool Champions League scheduled to commence on October 30.

Prince Adebowale said, “There is need to engage our youths in sports, especially in other sports aside football.

“The focus should not only be based on football, as the agency we are doing a lot in helping out youths to discover their talents, we’ve been supporting them with skills acquisition programmes, digital technology innovations, in entertainment and creative industry and we are still ready to do more.

“Our doors are open to various stakeholders for partnership on programs that will open our youths to new ideas and an ideal way of earning money.” Falana said

He urged the youths in the country to come out in great numbers to showcase their talents at the Pool Champions League tournament.

He therefore pledged the agency’s moral and financial support to make the league a memorable one.

The Convener of the maiden Oyo State Pool Champions League, Mr Oluwatosin Odita in his remarks, said the grand prize of one million Naira will be at stake for competitors.

Noting that the five-day tournament would feature players from many parts of the country jostling for the grand prize, stressing that the tournament will hold from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3 and feature 32 players.

Oluwatosin promised that the five-day sporting activities will be a hitch-free tournament.

He said “The best 16 players would move from the opening round to the quarterfinals, before advancing to the semi-finals and final.

“There are games each day of the week, from the preliminaries, quarterfinals and semi-finals, while all matches of the tournament will hold at the Black Nile Lounge in Bodija every day.

“Then, the final will be at the Billionaires Section of Ibadan Recreation club,” he said.

Odita said the real essence of the tournament was to have a community of players first and also identify them as pool players.

He said the new talents would be merged with players from Lagos and then the sport’s umbrella body would partner with international bodies to export the players.

“The tournament will create an academy for the younger ones and catch them young to master the technicality of the game.

“Plans are ongoing to enroll the players on a coaching course in the UK governing body for pool annually.

“The certificate can enable the players become coaches anywhere in the world in the future, thereby giving back to the people by training them,” Odita said.

“The tournament’s overall winner will get N1 million and a trophy while the first runners-up will receive N500,000 and the second runners-up N300,000. This will go with the presentation of certificates and consolation prizes to all the participants of the tournament” Oluwatosin said.

Chairman of Ibadan Recreation Club’s Billiards and Snooker Section, Mr Mbim Okutiyang, said the section was giving Nigerians the opportunity to play with standard tables recognised globally in snooker and pool.

Mbim noted that the tournament would serve as an opportunity for people to know what IRC all is about and what it offers.