Rio 2016 Olympic: NFF were responsible for Super Falcon crash – Mabo

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Veteran football coach, Ismaila Mabo has declared that Super Falcons exit from the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil did not surprise him because the African champions caused their elimination.

Falcons were sent out of the 2016 Olympic Games qualifiers by Equatorial Guinea, who defeated them 3 -2 on aggregate in Bata on Sunday having forced the Nigerians to a 1-1 in the first leg clash in Abuja a fortnight earlier.

A disappointed Mabo, said while looking at the way forward for the national team, noted that the Nigerian girls gave away the ticket in Abuja, when they allowed the Equatorial Guineans to escape with score draw in the first leg clash.

According to him, the African champions caused their own pressure after the 1-1 draw in Abuja as they needed victory at all cost in the second leg in Bata, a place they have never survived to move ahead.

Mabo described Super Falcons exit from the Olympics as a very unfortunate situation and challenged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to rise up to the occasion by ensuring that the team is repositioned for better performance.

“Well, it is a very unfortunate situation. I feel bad about it and I feel highly disappointed even though I wasn’t surprised because of the previous defeats we’ve suffered in the hands of the Equatorial Guinea national women’s team in the past.

“If you remember, in 2003 they beat us on their soil by alone goal and this time around they came to Nigeria and held us to a 1-1 draw and in the return leg, we lost to them. They’ve once more become a barrier between us and qualification for the Olympics. So I want to believe Falcons dug the grave for their elimination.

“But I believe we have the calibre of players that can take us anywhere in the world as far as women football is concerned, but then, the ball is in the court of the Nigeria Football Federation to monitor and pick our players that would be used in future competitions.”

He played down the insinuation in certain quarters that the hurried sack of former coach, Edwin Okon by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) affected the team’s performance in the ties.

“I was not privileged to watch the match, but I think the coach that handled Falcons worked with Okon in the past; so whatever pattern he adopted I don’t know. And in addition, I think he also handled the U17 or U20 team in the past; so he’s not new to the task, but I don’t want to go into tactics now.”