President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, has expressed strong optimism about the Super Falcons’ chances of winning the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
Nigeria will take on defending champions South Africa in the semi-finals on Tuesday at the Stade Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco.
Speaking ahead of the semi-final clash, Gusau explained the inspiration behind the team’s rallying slogan ‘Mission X’ and its deeper significance for the reigning African champions.
He said: “When you talk about the Mission X of the Super Falcons, we decided to tag it so because we believe in girls and we believe we can achieve it.
According to the NFF boss, the term ‘Mission X’ is a motivational campaign aimed at pushing the team towards their 10th WAFCON title, after what was widely considered a disappointing outing in the last edition, also hosted by Morocco.
He said: “Don’t forget that the last edition that was played in the same Morocco, we had our worst performance since the beginning of the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations 22 years ago. We feel we should come up with a slogan that will motivate the girls.”
Nigeria crashed out of the 2022 WAFCON in the semi-finals, finishing fourth — the Super Falcons’ lowest-ever ranking in the tournament’s history.
The Justine Madugu-led side has enjoyed a flawless run so far in the competition, winning all four of their matches without conceding a single goal — a feat not achieved by the team since 1998.
Gusau expressed pride at the team’s impressive run in the competition while tipping them to win the trophy.
He said: “You can see that since 1998 we have never had it so good like this, playing four matches without conceding a goal. I am sure that this Mission X is achievable, and we are going to celebrate winning a trophy on July 26.
“Mission X is achievable. We’re not looking at the opposition — we are going to make it on the final day.”
The clash is set to be the 13th encounter between Nigeria and South Africa since 2010. Nigeria has won five times, South Africa has won four, and three matches have ended in stalemates.
Nigeria’s clash against South Africa is slated for 5pm Nigerian time.
