PAUL EREWUBA
Super Falcons coach Florence Omagbemi yesterday pledged that AWCON defending champions, the Falcons would not underrate any team at this year’s AWCON in Cameroon.
The Super Falcons were on Sunday drawn in Group B alongside Mali, Ghana and debutants Kenya, Omagbemi said: “We have been playing against Ghana’s Black Queens for years.
“I remember when the Falcons were newly formed; our first game in the qualification series for the 1991 Women’s World Cup was against Ghana.
“We have played against Mali before, and we know they are no pushovers. Now, Kenya is coming to the African championship for the first time, but from the way they qualified, after beating Algeria, they must be respected.
“Surely, we will take the games against all three countries as seriously as we have been doing in the past. You know, we are the cup holders and every team would want to beat the Falcons.”
The champions will kick off their campaign against Mali at the Limbe Stadium on November 20, before taking on the Black Queens three days later and Kenya on November 26, at the same venue.
Omagbemi said her girls will take it one match at a time.
“This is year 2016. A number of teams on the African continent have improved and we cannot afford to look down on any team,” she stated.
The Super Falcons failed to qualify for the women’s football tournament of this year’s Olympics and lost to Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire at the 11th All-Africa Games in Brazzaville last year.