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INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY: France embassy makes u-turn, grants visas to Falcons

By Ejiro Femi-Babafemi

Players and officials of the women’s national team, the Super Falcons will next week be off to France for their international friendly following the intervention of an influential member of the sporting fraternity, who was able to assure the Embassy of France that the team would return to the country.

Players and officials of the women’s national team, the Super Falcons will next week be off to France for their international friendly, following the intervention of a highly placed official who was able to assure the Embassy of France that the team would return to the country.

Consequently the Embassy has asked the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to pick up the international passports today (Thursday). “They gave Schengen visas to 16 people. 6 players and 10 officials. So we would be traveling next week Tuesday for the game which will be played in Le Mans, Paris,” said our source. The foreign based invitees will be issued their visas at the point of entry

A source told SportingLife.ng that the influential official had to step in when the NFF was finding it difficult convincing the Embassy to entertain their application. The official met with the Embassy on Wednesday where it was settled.

Nigeria’s April 6 friendly against France was being threatened by denial of entry visa to the 6 home based players invited by head coach, Thomas Dennerby, local coaches, backroom staff and administrative officials of the current Africa Women Championship (AWC) champions. .

“The Embassy referred to an issue that happened in the past when one of the Nigeria national teams traveled for a game with a heavy entourage. They were all given visas with the NFF assuring the Embassy that everybody would come back only for some to defect which the Embassy saw as a breach of agreement,” explained our source.

The France Embassy, it would be recalled on April 29, 2016, returned the passports of some members of the Super Eagles without visas who were to travel for the friendly matches against Mali and Luxembourg.

Meanwhile France women’s national team coach Corinne Diacre has invited 23 players for next week’s friendly. The team is expected to report to camp next week Monday.

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