Daily Independent (Lagos)
1 December 2008
Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) has asked Nigeria to host the next edition of the Africa Women Championship (AWC) in 2010.
This is because no country has shown interest in staging the championship, which was launched in 1998 by the Africa football governing body to get young women involved in the round leather game.
There were, however, speculations that a North African country would be the next host given CAF.s decision to rotate the tournament among the regions.
But CAF president, Issa Hayaotu, told our correspondent after the closing ceremony of the sixth edition in Equatorial Guinea that they are extending the offer to Nigeria based on the fact that it is a wonderful host.
"Right now, we do not have any country that has indicated interest in hosting the competition. But on a second thought, we would not mind Nigeria taking it, since it has shown it is capable of organising it," he said.
He, however, said their doors remain open to any country that is interested in hosting it.
Nigeria has always been coming to the rescue of CAF anytime it runs into difficulties as regards who the next host of the women championship would be.
Of the five editions, Nigeria has hosted three with the last two years ago in Delta State. The state edged out Ogun after Gabon pulled out at the last minute due to the non-availability of funds.
Aside Nigeria, South Africa has also hosted it twice, the first being in 2002 and 2004.
Meanwhile, Super Falcons players and their officials arrived on Saturday to a cold reception by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
There was no official of the NFF to welcome the team and its officials on arrival at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on Saturday. There was no vehicle to convey the bronze winning team out of the airport as the players were ferried out by relatives and friends.
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