Nigeria’s U-17 Women’s team, the Flamingos, touched down in Abuja yesterday to a hero’s welcome after being crowned world champions. They secured the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title in Morocco on Saturday, overcoming a hard-fighting Japanese team 2-1 in the final to become the first African nation ever to win the tournament.

The victorious girls arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport from where they were taken and camped in a luxurious hotel in Abuja.

The Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, and members of the NFF Management paid a visit to the Flamingos at their Abuja hotel in the afternoon, restating the appreciation of the NFF and the entire Nigeria football family for the hard work, discipline and dedication of the young players.

Ikpeme fed the team with words of encouragement and motivation, assuring them of the Federal Government and the good people of Nigeria’s appreciation for how they had improved the country’s position on the world football map. He reiterated that not only is Nigeria the first African country to win the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, Nigeria is also the first African country to win male and female titles of the FIFA U17 World Cup.

“There is no way the history of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup will be written without your names. The Federal Government is happy and the generality of Nigerians are happy about this accomplishment. Our prayer is that as a collective and as individuals, you will continue to improve your game to get even better and take your game to the next level.”

He concluded with a fatherly advice to the girls, telling them to make a commitment to improve in every area of their game that they believe they have shortcomings, and never to stop aspiring for greater things.

“My prayer to you all is that, as you have decided to take football as a career, your career will not end abruptly; it will keep progressing. As a federation, we want to see that you progress from the U-17 level to the U-20 and then the Super Falcons.”