The head coach of Burundi’s senior women’s team, Gustave Niyonkuru has said that his team will be ready to face giants Nigeria when the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) takes place in Morocco in July 2022.
Burundi who will be making their first appearance in the tournament were last night drawn in Group C alongside Nigeria, South Africa and Botswana.
Reacting after the draw, Niyonkuru made it clear that since they qualified for the tournament, they have no alternative but to get ready for any team they must play. He made it clear that from his perspective, all the three groups are balanced.
“Facing Nigeria who have won 11 titles will be a good experience for my players. We are going to prepare well for the tournament,” added the coach.
Niyonkuru who has handled the U-20 men’s national team before made it clear that it is a great honour to be among the 12 nations in Africa that will play in the Women’s AFCON 2022. “First, it is an honour to be among the countries that will participate in the tournament. I know that for us this is the first time, but we shall try our best to perform well,” added Niyonkuru.
He made it clear that they have already started preparations, and hopes to play some international friendly matches before heading to Morocco.
“We have the CECAFA Senior Women’s Championship in Uganda next month which will also help us prepare well and the players to get good match practice,” he added.
The coach concluded that there are plans to beef up the squad with some players who feature in Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.
Source: CAF