The Flamingos, Nigeria’s U17 women’s national team, are gearing up to take on South Africa in the second round of the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
This development follows Gabon’s chaotic outing during the first leg of their first-round clash against South Africa. As one of the teams granted a bye in the first round due to their qualification for last year’s tournament, the Flamingos awaited the winner of the South Africa-Gabon encounter.
However, the match in Gabon took an unexpected turn when the hosts fielded an under-strength team, resulting in the game’s abandonment. Gabon began the match with only 10 players after eight squad members were deemed ineligible for being born outside the competition’s required birth window of January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2010.
South Africa took full advantage, surging to a dominant 12-1 lead by halftime. Khwezi Khoza netted four goals, Katlego Malebane and Nomfundo Nzuza each scored hat-tricks, while Akhona Simamane added a brace.
The situation deteriorated further when Gabon’s goalkeeper sustained an injury, reducing their team to nine players. Additional injuries left Gabon with only six players before the second half, forcing Match Commissioner Elise Delly Mankou Nee to call off the game, as FIFA regulations state that a match cannot continue with fewer than seven players on either side.
South Africa’s head coach, Ntombifuthi Khumalo, voiced her frustration, saying:
“We came to Gabon and prepared for 90 minutes of play. Although we understand and respect the laws of the game, the decision taken today hinders our plans as a team. We have areas we want to work on and really needed this game to prepare for the next round.”
South Africa will host the second leg on January 18, 2025, at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria, holding a commanding advantage. The winner of the tie will face Nigeria in the second round of the qualifiers.
