CELEBRATION OF CHAMPIONS

The newly crowned champions
of Africa, Super Falcons, returned
home yesterday afternoon to a
rapturous reception at the
Murtala Muhammed International
Airport, Lagos.
Hundreds of well-wishers, most
of who had been at the airport
hours before the team's arrival
from Johannesburb, jubilated
and cheered the team.

The Falcons had done the
country proud by winning the
7th edition of the African
Women's Championship (AWC)
on the back of five straight
victories over Mali, South Africa,
Tanzania, Cameroon and
defending champions Equatorial
Guinea.
Moments after their arrival, they
were paraded in an open-top
trailer before being taken to the
domestic wing of the airport
from where they boarded an
Arik Air aircraft to Abuja for a
reception - organised by the
federal government.
The presidency commended the
Falcons for not only reclaiming
the African Women
Championship title they failed to
defend at the 2008 tournament
in Equatorial Guinea, but for also
qualifying for the 2011 FIFA
Women's World Cup scheduled to
hold in Germany in June.

Ahead of the World Cup, which
will be Nigeria's sixth successive
appearance. As part of
preparations, the Super Falcons
will play an international friendly
against Germany on November
25. Because of the match, the
team is expected to resume
training this weekend after
observing a few days of rest.

"I think that the friendly is very
close," Eucharia Uche, the team's
coach told reporters in Lagos. "As
soon as we finish celebrating we
will gather together for that
game.
"The World Cup is different from
the AWC. It is a bigger
tournament and we intend to
prepare well for it." The game
against the Germans will take
place in the city of Leverkusen
and will see the newly crowned
African champions testing their
might against the winners of the
last two editions of the FIFA
Women's World Cup.

Perpetua Nkwocha, the leading
goal scorer at the AWC, is happy
about the fixture and she called
on the Nigeria Football
Federation to organise more of
such games for the team.
"The NFF must organise many
friendly games for us, not
against African teams but
against European teams.
"I think they are planning to do
that because this month we are
going to play Germany," said the
Sweden-based forward when
asked what was needed to help
the team prepare for the World
Cup.

Arik Air, the airline that flew the
team home, also joined millions
of Nigerians in congratulating
the Super Falcons on their
victory over Equatorial Guinea in
Sunday's AWC final.
The airline's Managing Director/
Executive Vice President, Chris
Ndulue echoed the sentiments of
many in Nigeria by saying:
"Congratulations to the Super
Falcons from all of us at Arik Air,
in reclaiming the African title
they lost to Equatorial Guinea
two years ago and on becoming
six-time champions of Africa."
Ndulue said Arik Air is happy to
be identified with the team
having had the honour of flying
the team to and from South
Africa.

It's not the first time Arik Air will
be flying the national team to or
from a major championship.
In May this year, prior to the
commencement of the World
Cup, the airline stepped in to fly
the Super Eagles from London to
Durban, South Africa, after the
prearranged chartered flight for
the team could not operate.