Ikpeme Congratulates Edo Queens, Commends Nigeria’s Continental Clubs

Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, has congratulated Edo Queens on their triumph at the WAFU-B Women’s Champions League tournament in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, while commending Rivers United, Shooting Stars and El-Kanemi Warriors for their positive results in continental competitions.

Edo Queens reclaimed the WAFU-B title on Saturday night after defeating Ghanaian side Ampem Darkoa Ladies 4-1 on penalties following a thrilling 2-2 draw in the final at the Stade 4 August. The victory secured the Nigerian champions a place in this year’s CAF Women’s Champions League finals.

‘The NFF is very proud of the achievement of Edo Queens. It is no mean a feat, as they had to do battles with equally-ambitious and focused teams. It is even more remarkable that the team they defeated in the final was the only team to have beaten them during the group phase of the tournament,’ Ikpeme said.

The NFF scribe also praised Rivers United for securing a valuable 1-1 draw against FC San Pedro of Côte d’Ivoire in the first-leg encounter of their CAF Champions League first preliminary round tie in Abidjan.

Ikpeme equally commended El-Kanemi Warriors and Shooting Stars for recording victories in their respective CAF Confederation Cup home fixtures, urging the clubs to maintain their focus ahead of the return legs.

‘We are happy for them as we monitored all the matches and noticed their efforts. We believe Shooting Stars have the quality to withstand anything that CS Sfaxien may throw at them during the return leg in Tunisia, and we are also using this opportunity to encourage Enugu Rangers to go to Benin Republic and get the result that will see them qualify for the second round,’ he added.

On El-Kanemi Warriors, who secured a comfortable home victory, Ikpeme cautioned the Maiduguri-based club against complacency ahead of their trip to Guinea-Bissau.

‘El-Kanemi Warriors got a handsome win but they should not rest on their oars. They should go to Guinea Bissau and play their hearts out to gain even more confidence ahead of the second-round matches,’ he said.

The NFF acting General Secretary expressed optimism that the strong performances of Nigeria’s representatives would continue in the return legs and ultimately see the clubs progress further in their respective continental campaigns.