Sports

Paris 2024 Qualifier: Super Falcons Set For Douala Trip; Kanu, Payne Expected In Camp

Super Falcons forward Uchenna Kanu and attacking midfielder Toni Payne are the only absentees in the camp of the Super Falcons ahead of this weekend’s qualifiying fixture against the Indomitable Lionessess of Cameroon for the 2024 Olympics Women’s football tournament in Paris, reports Prime Business Africa.

The nine-time African champions are expected to depart Abuja for Douala, Cameroon’s industrial and economic capital on Wednesday night ahead of the first leg tie in the penultimate qualifiying series of the Football tournament to the Paris Olympics.

The first leg will be played at the Stade de la Reunification in Douala on Friday evening while the second leg holds on Monday evening at the MKO Abiola stadium, Abuja.

The Falcons are on the hunt for a first appearance at the women’s football tournament of the Olympics in 16 years after a group stage elimination at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 where they lost 1-0 to Democratic Republic of Korea and Germany in Shenyang before a 1-3 defeat to Brazil in Beijing followed suit.

Nigeria’s rivals, Cameroon eliminated Nigeria fr qualifiying for the London 2012 Olympics while Equatorial Guinea ended the team’s Olympics dream in Rio, Brazil four years later.

The Ivorian national team eliminated the Falcons on away goals rule after 1-1 aggregate scoreline over two legs to reach Tokyo 2020 at the expense of Nigeria.

Izuchukwu Okosi

Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc. In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio. He worked there for 13 years until October 2017. Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch. He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations. Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line. Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.