₦airaland Forum

Reigning Olympics champions USA face world champions Japan in the final of the women’s football tournament at the London 2012 Olympics. The match will be played at Wembley Stadium in London on Thursday 9 August 2012 with a kick-off time of 19.45 British Summer Time/Nigerian Time.

[img]http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Olympics+Day+1+Women+Football+Japan+v+Sweden+xhp98IRgHqfl.jpg[/img]
_{Japan's Women Olympic Football Team}

[img]http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Olympics+Day+2+Women+Football+USA+v+France+5mEz6vdDWwql.jpg[/img]
_{USA's Women Olympic Football Team}

But as well as a match between the two best women’s teams at the moment, it also represents a clash of belief. The USA have won this tournament on three of the four occasions it has been held, their only blip being in 2000 when they finished runners up to Norway. It therefore comes as no surprise that they regard the Olympics as the most prestigious women’s football tournament. However, for most of the rest of the world outside of North America, the Women’s World Cup is the premier trophy, and Japan are the current holders, and the team they beat in last year’s final was the USA.

The USA have only won the World Cup twice – in 1991 and 1999 – and will feel they have a point to prove after their defeat by Japan last year. Japan meanwhile will be keen to add the Olympics title to their world champions status. For them, this is uncharted territory as the best they have done in the Olympics is a fourth place finish last time out in 2008.

Both these teams have medals in the bag, with the winner taking gold and the loser silver. The teams they beat in the semi-final – Canada and France – though still have to fight for a medal in the bronze medal match at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.


Japan’s Route to the Final
They won four and drew one of their five qualifying games. Japan finished second in Group F on goal difference to Sweden, with whom they drew 0-0 in their second match after opening with a 2-1 win over Canada. They drew their final game 0-0 against South Africa.

Japan soaked up wave after wave of attack by Brazil in the quarter-finals before hitting them hard twice on the break to win 2-0.

Japan looked to be coasting in the semi-finals against France after Yuki Ogimi’s first half goal was added to early in the second half by Mizuho Sakaguchi. And they were well deserving of their 2-0 lead having dominated the match so far. But the second goal seemed to act as a trigger to the French team and they then put the Japanese goal under siege, with the reward being pulling one back with just fifteen minutes to go. And it could have all gone pear-shaped for the Japanese a few minutes later when the French won a penalty. This was missed and the Japanese held out to win 2-1.

Norio Sasaki is team coach


USA’s Route to the Final
USA qualified impressively, without conceding a goal in their five matches in the Concacaf Championship while knocking in 31 at the other end

They won all three of their matches to top Group G but had a scare in their first game when they found themselves two down to France, but they rallied to win the game 4-2. They then had a comfortable 3-0 win over Columbia but could only beat North Korea 1-0 in the last game despite dominating most of the match.

The USA beat New Zealand 2-0 in the quarter-finals. A first half goal by Wambach and a late clincher by substitute Sydney Leroux were enough to see off the Kiwis.

The USA were behind three times in their semi-final against North American neighbours Canada but fought back well. Canada were 1-0 up at half time thanks to the first of three goals by captain Christine Sinclair. Megan Rapinoe equalised ten minutes into the second half. Sinclair made it 2-1 on 67 minutes but Rapinoe levelled the match again three minutes later. Canada may have thought they’d won it when Sinclair got her third three minutes after that but a penalty converted by veteran striker Abby Wambach took the game into extra time. But there was more drama to come when the USA snatched a 4-3 victory thanks to a goal by Alex Morgan three minutes into injury time at the end of the second period of extra time.

They are coached by Pia Sundhage.

pDude: Hmmmm. I'm not too sure about that o, considering a nearby city: San Bernadino just filed for bankrupcy. Also being black and African isn't really working for us sometimes. Let me give you an example. Some weeks ago, I got called for an interview for a pharmaceutical company.

You applied for a job in a pharmaceutical company. . . .I thought you were a medical doctor abi na surgeon?

Before Eaton left Fifa, his unit was in the midst of an investigation into a 2010 World Cup group game between Nigeria and Greece. This is the first time such a high level game has been the subject of a confirmed investigation.

The incident in question is the red card awarded to Nigerian player Sani Kaita in the 33rd minute of the match. Eaton suspects this foul may have been pre-arranged with a fixer to enable them to bet on when it would take place - a form of spot-fixing.

"It's a manifestation of, potentially anyway, a manifestation of an attempt at a fraud that is, is unique...and perhaps to be replicated in the future, so we have to be cautious about it."

Eaton is reluctant to talk further about the incident now that he's left as he thinks the investigation is ongoing.

Channel 4 News contacted Kaita's agent in attempt to get his reponse to the allegations, but we received no reply.

Fifa denied there was an official investigation into the match but said such matters were the responsibility of its security unit.

antitpiah: Not quite true. Home is where your heart is, not necessarily where you are born. If you live in a place and pay your taxes you are a citizen. Your nationality is still defined by your ethnic group/heritage/affiliation. Ohuruogu, for instance is a Nigerian name. To claim otherwise for the sole purpose of making yourself feel better about who you really are is dishonesty. I do agree that people should be free to decide what country they want to represent. What Island. People should be free to act in their own interest, monetary or otherwise. That said, the fact still remains that you cant simply wake up and change who you are all of a sudden. No one exist in a vacuum. We all started from somewhere. And that place is HOME. Ohuruogu's home is not the UK. Her home is whereevre her parents call home. She is part of something bigger than her and she just, like the rest of her cohort, cant just cut herself off from her origin or ethnicity.

No one is claiming anything. We are just stating facts as we know them. Well if Nigeria had nothing to do with forming them, then I guess they should return the discipline they got from their NIGERIAN parents. They should wipe off the millions of years of information inprinted on the NIGERIAN DNA they were freely bequeathed by their NIGERIAN parents; dont forget that they are only able to achieve this much in part because of the DNA shoulders of the ancestors they are standing on.


There is corruption everywhere. If Americans ran to Russia because there is corruption in America, we wont have America as it is now. There is no miracle elsewhere, we all need to pitch in if we ever going to see a Nigeria of our dreams. It is easy to blame others. Change we come only when we start taking responsibilities for our actions, inaction and baseless criticisms

Some people have already suggested that the athletes competing for other countries are selling their souls. I agree to some extent, an Italian in NY is an Italian in Milan: It is true that home is what you decide to call home, but nationality is who you are, your ethnic group and the DNA haplotypes you possess. In the couple of years since we started (1952) competing at the Olympics, we've had some amazing experiences as a nation: heart-pounding encounters like Nojim Maiyegun's bronze medal at the 1964 games; incredible, world class individual performance by Chioma Ajunwa at the 1996 games; Exhilarating, out of this world experience from the Dream team, that we hoped would never end. We are currently in some ruts that is going to take our collective effort and imagination to get out of, a lot of hard work and patriotism is going to be needed in the years ahead if we ever going to live up to our potential. Still, as the saying goes, representing your father land is like pizza — even when it's bad as it is right now, it's pretty damn good. I am Nigerian first, and I plan on continue being Nigerian.

NIGERIA

Roster: G Tony Skinn, F Ekene Ibekwe, F Ike Diogu, F Al-Farouq Aminu, G Ade Dagunduro, G Chamberlain Oguchi, F Koko Archibong, G Richard Oruche, F Ejike Ugboaja, F Derrick Obasohan, C Alade Aminu, C Olumide Oyedeji

Coach: Ayo Bakare. He coaches the Ebun Comets in Nigeria's pro league. He also coached Nigeria's national team in the mid-1990s and early-2000s before Nigeria used to American coaches (Sam Vincent and Robert McCullum).

Qualification: Finished third by beating the Dominican Republic at Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Venezuela in July.

Best Olympic finish: First Olympics

Results of Previous Games in London 2012: Nigeria 60 Tunisia 56 , Nigeria 53 Lithuania 72 , Nigeria 73 USA 156, Nigeria 79 Argentina 93

Players you know: F Al-Farouq Aminu, who played college ball at Wake Forest, averaged six points and 4.7 rebounds for the New Orleans Hornets last season. … PG Tony Skinn played on the George Mason team that reached the Final Four in 2006. Skinn, who has spent his professional career in France, Italy and Germany, averaged 10 points and 2.8 assists in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. … F Ike Diogu, who played at Arizona State and averaged six points for six teams in six NBA seasons, averaged 16.8 points and 10.8 rebounds in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. … F Alade Aminu, Al-Farqouq's brother, played at Georgia Tech and has spent last season playing in France. F Ekene Ibekwe played at Maryland.

Expert Analysis: The key with Nigeria and the reason they had success in the Qualifying Tournament is that they play very, very hard and with passion and energy on defense. Diogu is an NBA-level player. Al-Farouq Aminu is certainly an NBA player. They're not going to medal, but they played their win in on the basis of toughness and team chemistry. The Nigerian players I've been around have a fierceness about them. They just play very confidently. They're very quick to the ball. They get all those 50-50 balls. They play very loose. Diogu has done a nice job down low. Their guard play has been good. They're a fun team to watch because of the way they attack and they play very free.

FRANCE

Roster: F Nicolas Batum, G Yannick Bokolo, G Fabien Causeur, G Nando De Colo, F Boris Diaw, F Yakhouba Diawara, F Mickael Gelabale, G Tony Parker, F Florent Pietrus, C Kevin Seraphin, F Ali Traore, C Ronny Turiaf

Coach: Vincent Collet. A former pro player in France, Collet took over the national team in 2009. He is also the head coach for Asvel Lyon-Villeurbanne.

Qualification: Finished second at 2011 European championship

Best Olympic finish: Silver in 1948 and 2000

2008 Olympics: Did not qualify

Results of Previous Games in London 2012: France 71 USA 98 , France 71 Argentina 64 , France 82 Lithuania 74 , France 73 Tunisia 69

Players you know: G Tony Parker, who sustained an eye injury when a fight broke out a New York club recently, averaged 22.1 points and 4.4 assists at the 2011 European championship and 18.3 points and 6.3 assists for the San Antonio Spurs last season. … F-G Nic Batum just received a multiyear deal from the Portland Trail Blazers. He averaged 13.8 points and 3.2 rebounds in the 2011 European Championship and 13.9 points and 4.6 rebounds for the Blazers last season. … F Boris Diaw played for the Spurs last season, F Kevin Seraphin for the Washington Wizards and C Ronny Turiaf ended the season with the Miami Heat. Also, G Nando De Colo will play for the Spurs next season. He averaged 8.8 points in the 2010 World Championship and 6.5 points at the 2011 European Championship.

Expert Analysis: "France is going to put multiple NBA players on the floor but outside of Tony Parker we're not talking about the caliber of NBA player Team USA has at its disposal. France is one of those teams where I would say they're an any-given-night team. They get up and down the floor. They will attack. They're a very good driving team, led by Tony Parker, who gets in the paint. Their offensive is keyed on how Tony plays."