•Nigeria’s Super Falcons
The friendly match between Nigeria women’s national team and Cameroon at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne has been called off.
The first of the two-legged international friendly, initially scheduled for today, was expected to mark the Super Falcons’ return to action for the first time since their narrow defeat to France in November 2023, reports Saturday PUNCH.
However, logistical issues involving the visiting Cameroonian team have forced a change of plans.
It was gathered that the Cameroonian delegation arrived in the host town very late yesterday, making it infeasible to proceed with the fixture as planned.
The late arrival, attributed to travel hitches from their country to Ikenne, disrupted both the Lionesses’ recovery schedule and the matchday protocols required for such an international fixture.
As a result, only one leg of the friendly will now take place. The second leg, initially fixed for Monday, June 3, at the MKO Abiola Arena in Abeokuta, has been brought forward by a day and will now be held on Sunday, June 2, at the same venue.
The revised schedule means both teams will still get a chance to face each other ahead of major continental and international engagements.
For the Falcons, the friendly serves as a critical part of their build-up to the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Africa’s most decorated women’s team, Nigeria have won the WAFCON a record nine times and have featured in every semi-final since the tournament’s inception in 1991.
Cameroon, who failed to qualify for the forthcoming WAFCON, remains a familiar rival, as the two nations share a long history of tense encounters, especially in tournament settings.
Although the rivalry has heavily favoured Nigeria in recent years, the Lionesses have failed to score in any of their last six meetings and have not registered a victory against the Falcons since 2012.
