Super Falcons midfielder Halimatu Ayinde pulled out of the Super Falcons Olympics squad after sustaining a knee injury in training with the squad yesterday, which will eventually sideline her throughout the tournament.
The FC Rosengard midfielder had been included in coach Randy Waldrum’s 22-player list for the 2024 Olympics tournament scheduled to be held in Paris, France, from Friday, 26 July 2024, to Sunday, 11 August 2024.
In her message on her official Facebook page, the 29-year-old admitted it saddens her not to be available for the big stage where she would be flying the colors of her country:
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce I will not be part of the Super Falcons squad participating in the upcoming France 2024 Olympics due to a knee injury sustained during practice yesterday. While it deeply saddens me to miss this prestigious tournament, I am incredibly grateful for the love and support I have received from my club, FC Rosengård, and my teammates, which ensured that my operation was a success.
To my fellow Super Falcons, I wish you the best of luck as you represent Nigeria on the global stage. Your hard work and passion will undoubtedly shine through, and I have complete faith in your abilities to achieve great success. I will be cheering for you every step of the way and will be back soon, stronger than ever.
Go Super Falcons!”
The Kaduna-born midfielder started her career with Delta Queens before moving to an abroad club in 2015. She played with Western New York Flash, FC Minsk, Asarums IF, and Eskilstuna United before the Rosengard move in 2022.
Having represented the Nigerian female team at the U17 and U20 levels, Halimatu has been capped 12 times since making her debut with the Super Falcons of Nigeria in 2015.
Coach Waldrum will now resort to replacing Halimatu with standby players Jumoke Alani (Nasarawa Amazons), Ifeoma Onumonu (Utah Royals, USA), Gift Monday (Coasta Adeje Tenerife Egatesa, Spain), and Morufa Ademola (Rivers Angels).
The squad left Abuja yesterday for Sevilla, Spain, where they will camp for two weeks before traveling to France on July 18th.
The most decorated African team will battle Brazil, Spain, and Japan in the group stages. Their first match against Brazil is set for July 25th at the Stade Bordeaux, followed by matches against Spain and Japan at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes.
