The President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, as well as Chairman of the NFF Women’s Football Committee, Ms Aisha Falode and the General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi will be in the stands to cheer the Super Falcons in Saturday’s international friendly match against the Les Bleues of France in Angers.

The match comes up inside the 18,000 -capacity Stade Raymond Kopa – home ground of Ligue 1 side Angers SCO, and which was opened in 1912 and renovated seven years ago.

Madugu and his charges are set to have the official training session at the match venue on Friday evening, with the Coach robbed of a defender following injury to Turkey-based dependable centre-back Oluwatosin Demehin.

Both teams last clashed nearly five-and-half years ago, when the Super Falcons needed a result to progress to the Round of 16 at the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals. Hosts France edged the tie by the odd goal, after Wendie Renard’s twice-taken penalty kick with 11 minutes left on the clock. The defeat notwithstanding, the Super Falcons made the Round of 16 as results in another pool weighed in their favour, while France finished top of their group with the maximum nine points from three matches.

On Saturday night, Madugu will have to decide which of England-based Rofiat Imuran and home-girl Sikiratu Isah will pair veteran Osinachi Ohale at the heart of the defence, with Michelle Alozie and returning Ashley Plumptre expected to man the wing-back positions. Madugu may also decide to use another home-girl, Shukurat Oladipo in her accustomed centre-back position.

Portugal-based Christy Ucheibe, England-based Toni Payne and France-based Jennifer Echegini (who scored Nigeria’s only goal at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament in France this summer) are available in the middle, alongside home-based professionals Adoo Yina and Josephine Mathias.

At the fore, with Captain Rasheedat Ajibade also not in Angers as a result of injury, much will be expected of the Spain-based duo of Gift Monday and Rinsola Babajide, with home -girl Mercy Omokwo, as well as Egypt-based Blessing Nkor and France-based Ifeoma Onumonu, also available.

Super Eagles duo Ademola Lookman and William Troost-Ekong have earned spots on the prestigious nominees list for the 2024 FIFA Best Player Awards.

The announcement, made early Friday, features only five African players among the elite, with Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Zambia’s Barbra Banda, and Malawi’s Tabitha Chawinga joining the Nigerian stars in the spotlight.Sports equipment

Banda and Chawinga have been nominated for the Best FIFA Women’s Player award.

Lookman, who finished 14th in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings, is shortlisted in the Best Attacker category alongside football giants Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, and Barcelona’s rising sensation Lamine Yamal.

Meanwhile, Troost-Ekong and Hakimi are competing in the Best Defender category against notable names like Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rüdiger, and Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah.

This recognition comes as Lookman, Troost-Ekong, and Hakimi also made headlines earlier in the year with nominations for the 2024 CAF Player of the Year award. While Troost-Ekong did not progress to the final shortlist, Lookman remains a favourite in African and global football circles.Watch live soccer online

The revamped voting process for FIFA’s awards now gives fans equal weight alongside national team captains, coaches, and media representatives.

Notably, this year marks the introduction of the FIFA Marta Award, celebrating the best goal in women’s football globally, alongside the redefined FIFA Puskás Award, which honours the best goal in men’s football.

Fans can cast their votes on FIFA.com until 10 December 2024, with winners set to be announced in early 2025.

FULL LIST – FIFA THE BEST AWARDS
The Best FIFA Women’s Player nominees
Aitana Bonmati (Spain), Barcelona
Barbra Banda (Zambia), Shanghai Shengli/Orlando Pride
Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway), Barcelona
Keira Walsh (England), Barcelona
Khadija Shaw (Jamaica), Manchester City
Lauren Hemp (England), Manchester City
Lindsey Horan (USA), Olympique Lyonnais
Lucy Bronze (England), Barcelona/Chelsea
Mallory Swanson (USA), Chicago Red Stars
Mariona Caldentey (Spain), Barcelona/Arsenal
Naomi Girma (USA), San Diego Wave
Ona Batlle (Spain), Barcelona
Salma Paralluelo (Spain), Barcelona
Sophia Smith (USA), Portland Thorns
Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi), Paris Saint-Germain/Olympique Lyonnais
Trinity Rodman (USA), Washington Spirit

The Best FIFA Men’s Player nominees
Dani Carvajal (Spain), Real Madrid
Erling Haaland (Norway), Manchester City
Federico Valverde (Uruguay), Real Madrid
Florian Wirtz (Germany), Bayer Leverkusen
Jude Bellingham (England), Real Madrid
Kylian Mbappe (France), Paris Saint-Germain/Real Madrid
Lamine Yamal (Spain), Barcelona
Lionel Messi (Argentina), Inter Miami
Rodri (Spain), Manchester City
Toni Kroos (Germany), Real Madrid (now retired)
Vinicius Jr (Brazil), Real Madrid

The Best FIFA Women’s Coach nominees
Arthur Elias (Brazil), Brazil
Elena Sadiku (Sweden), Celtic
Emma Hayes (England), Chelsea/USA
Futoshi Ikeda (Japan), Japan
Gareth Taylor (England), Manchester City
Jonatan Giraldez (Spain), Barcelona/Washington Spirit
Sandrine Soubeyrand (France), Paris FC
Sonia Bompastor (France), Olympique Lyonnais/Chelsea

The Best FIFA Men’s Coach nominees
Carlo Ancelotti (Italy), Real Madrid
Lionel Scaloni (Argentina), Argentina
Luis de la Fuente (Spain), Spain
Pep Guardiola (Spain), Manchester City
Xabi Alonso (Spain), Bayer Leverkusen

The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper nominees
Alyssa Naeher (USA), Chicago Red Stars
Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany), Chelsea/NJ/NY Gotham
Ayaka Yamashita (Japan), INAC Kobe Leonessa/Manchester City
Cata Coll (Spain), Barcelona
Mary Earps (England), Manchester United/Paris Saint-Germain

The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper nominees
Andriy Lunin (Ukraine), Real Madrid
David Raya (Spain), Arsenal
Ederson (Brazil), Manchester City
Emiliano Martinez (Argentina), Aston Villa
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy), Paris Saint-Germain
Mike Maignan (France), AC Milan
Unai Simon (Spain), Athletic Club

Soccernet.ng

Nigeria’s Super Eagles experienced a significant setback in the latest FIFA rankings released on Thursday, suffering the biggest drop of any national team.

This decline follows a disappointing performance in the November Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, where they managed only a draw against Benin and suffered a surprising home loss to Rwanda.

The Super Eagles suffered a significant drop in the latest FIFA World Rankings, released on Thursday. They fell to 44th position, an eight-place decline from their previous ranking of 36th, the largest drop globally for this period.

The decline is attributed to the team’s underwhelming performance in their final qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. During this ranking window, Nigeria drew 1-1 with the Benin Republic in Abidjan and lost 2-1 to Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.

The Super Eagles have struggled to regain their footing, having dropped eight places to 38th in June. Despite marginal gains, the team’s recent string of uninspiring results has led to this substantial drop.

Historically, the Super Eagles debuted at 13th when FIFA first introduced its rankings in December 1992. The team achieved its highest-ever ranking of No. 5 in April 1994, following their Africa Cup of Nations victory, which preceded their first World Cup appearance.

After being eliminated by Italy in the World Cup’s second round, the team fell to No. 10.

Notably, the Super Eagles have occupied top-10 spots, including No. 5 on 19 April 1994, No. 7 on 17 May 1994, and No. 9 on 22 November 2006.

Conversely, their lowest ranking occurred in November 1999, when they plummeted to No. 82.

In the current African rankings, Morocco remains the continent’s top football nation, despite dropping one spot to 14th globally. The Atlas Lions boast 1688.18 points, surpassing their October total of 1681.57.

Africa’s top-ranked teams include Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, and Cameroon. Globally, the top 10 teams in the FIFA rankings are Argentina, France, Spain, England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Germany.

With the last FIFA rankings for 2024 billed to be released on 14 December, there is little hope of Nigeria moving up as the Eagles are inactive for the rest of the year.

The Super Eagles’ decline underscores the need for improvement ahead of their World Cup qualifiers, which are scheduled to resume in March 2025.

AllAfricaNews