AHEAD WOMEN’S WORLD CUP Pinnick Baits Falcons with N88m to Reach Final

If mouth-watery incentive is what the Super Falcons need to reach the final of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada, now, they have it in abundance.

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Amaju Pinnick, who is determined to make a mark at the post has promised to personally hand over $400,000 (about N88million) to the Super Falcons squad if they achieve the feat of reaching the last two stage this summer.

“I am telling you girls in all sincerity. If you get to the quarter -finals of the World Cup, I am giving you $50,000. A spot in the semi finals will earn you the sum of $100,000 and if you get to the final, I am indebted to you to the sum of $250,000.

“I have absolute faith in you. You have done this nation proud on several occasions, winning seven African Women Championship titles out of nine editions. You are daughters of glory and I see you performing beyond expectation at the World Cup,” observed Pinnick when he paid a visit to the team’s training session at the FIFA Goal Project, National Stadium, Abuja on Wednesday.

The Super Falcons have only made the last eight of the global championship once, when victories over North Korea and Denmark saw the team in the quarter finals in the United States of America in 1999. But the squad led by Florence Omagbemi lost out at that stage, beaten 4-3 after extra time by Brazil.

The NFF boss went philosophical in motivating the girls further.

“It will not be easy, but nothing good comes easy. Beautiful roses grow on thorny plants. You are going to play the likes of Sweden and the United States of America, powerhouses in women’s football. But it should be in the back of your minds that Nigeria is also a powerhouse in women’s football, a serious one for that matter.

“There will be plenty of odds, but that’s an everyday thing in life. Odds are meant to propel you to go higher, move faster and become stronger.”

The Falcons, who have been training in Abuja since last month, following a 9-1 aggregate thumping of Mali in the only qualifying round for the Women’s Football Tournament of the All-Africa Games, will depart Nigeria on Tuesday for a 16-day training camp in Toronto, ahead of the 7th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals.