Ajibade: Most Falcons players have never played at Olympics | We’re motivated to qualify

Rasheedat Ajibade, Super Falcons captain, says members of the team are motivated to qualify for the women’s football event of Paris 2024 because most of them have not played at the Olympics before.

Ajibade spoke in a chat with the communication department of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Wednesday.

The Falcons will face South Africa in the final round of the Paris 2024 Olympics qualifiers. The first leg of the fixture is billed for the Moshood Abiola Stadium on Friday, and the return leg in Pretoria at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on April 9.

The last time the Falcons played at the Olympic Games was in Beijing in 2008.

Speaking ahead of the qualifiers, Ajibade said the prolonged absence of the team from the Olympics is “a big issue” for the players and “we want to be there in Paris”.

She added that the Falcons have “a couple of issues” with South Africa and will be motivated to defeat them.

“From the time we played Ethiopia, we have been committed to seeing these qualification series through. Our objective has always been to win a slot to the Olympics. Most of us are yet to play in the Olympics and it is a big issue with us. We want to be there in Paris,” the Falcon captain said.

“There are a couple of issues the Super Falcons have to sort out with Banyana Banyana, really. However, that is not the motivation this time. The motivation is qualifying for the Olympics.”

The winner of the two-legged tie between Nigeria and South Africa will earn one of Africa’s two tickets to the women’s football event at the Paris Olympics, with Zambia and Morocco to clash for the other ticket on the same dates.

The 2024 Olympics is billed to take place in Paris, France, from July 26 to August 11, 2024.