Four-time African Women’s footballer of the year, Perpetua Nkwocha insists Nigeria’s Super Falcons remain the best football side on the continent despite failing to win the 2012 African Women’s Championship (AWC) title. The Super Falcons had their journey to glory in 2012 rudely abbreviated at the semi final stage where they fell to South Africa who beat them 1-0 courtesy of a Janine Van Wyk strike in the 23rd minute.
Cameroun added salt to Nigerian wounds when they dismissed the Falcons 1-0 in the third place game to ensure the six-time AWC winners ended in fourth place in the overall classification.
Despite the recent setbacks, Nkwocha maintains that Nigeria’s position as top dogs in the women’s game in Africa remains unchallenged. She added that the Falcons will be aiming to win the top prize in Namibia to underline their dominance in the women’s game.
“We are not going to take any game easy because we want to win back what belong to us. We shall face any team as if we are playing the United States of America or Japan,” Nkwocha said.
Nigeria will compete in Group A of the 2014 AWC alongside Zambia, the Ivory Coast and hosts, Namibia with bookmakers predicting a relatively easy passage for the Super Falcons into the semi finals. Nkwocha is however calling for caution insisting that things have changed in the women’s game on the continent.
“It is true the women game has improved in Africa but we are still the best because we have good youth program,” she said. The 2014 AWC will run from October 11 to 25.
