Tokyo 2020 Qualifiers: FIFA appoints Malian, Ivorian officials for Falcons

World football –ruling body, FIFA has appointed officials from Mali to take charge of the 2020 Olympics Women’s Football Tournament qualifying match between Nigeria and Algeria in Blida on Wednesday, 28th August 2019.

The Algeria Football Federation has scheduled the match for the Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida (outside Algiers), to kick off at 7 pm Algeria time (same time as in Nigeria).

Teneba Bagayoko will be the referee, with her compatriots Mariam Coulibaly (assistant referee 1) and Djeneba Dembélé (assistant referee 2) also on duty. The fourth official will be Dorsaf Ganouati from Tunisia while Mana Dzodope from Togo will serve as referee assessor and Oumou Kane from Mauritania will be the match commissioner.

For the return leg in Nigeria, which the Nigeria Football Federation has scheduled for the Agege Stadium, Lagos on Tuesday, 3rd September 2019, starting from 4pm, FIFA has appointed Zomadre Kore from Cote d’Ivoire to be the referee.

Her compatriots Lou Ta (assistant referee 1), Denise Akoua (assistant referee 2) and Fatoumata Kra (fourth official) will join her on the assignment. Ghanaian Emmanuella Aglago will serve as referee assessor and Cameroonian Souadatou Kalkaba will be match commissioner.

Head Coach Thomas Dennerby has been drilling 30 home-based Super Falcons in training sessions at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja for the past one week, with a half dozen overseas-based professionals expected to join the team before they fly out to Algeria on Sunday, 25th August.

Nigeria has not participated in the Women’s Football Tournament of the Olympics since Beijing, China in 2008. The Falcons failed to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.