A retired FIFA-badged referee, Taiwo Osawe, on Thursday in Benin cautioned the national under-20 women football team and their handlers against being over-confident against Tanzania on Saturday.
The Falconets hosted their Tanzanian counterparts in the African qualifiers of the 2018 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup billed for France.
The match will be played at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin
“The technical team should rather instill in the players the revised amendment rules of the game to avoid technical pitfalls during the match,” Osawe told NAN.
He said some of the new rules include what constitutes offside positioning, fouls, interactions and behaviour on and off the pitch of play.
“Luckily, many of the national coaches attended the five-day seminar held here in Benin few weeks ago, where FIFA and CAF instructors taught them the latest amendments to the laws of the game.
“In essence, you may have a good team and a solid plan and strategy up your sleeve, but lacking knowledge of these latest rules of the game may rob you of the desired victory,” the retired FIFA-badged referee said.
The Falconets, who arrived the ancient city late Tuesday night, have been training since Wednesday at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, venue of the match.
Their opponents are expected to arrive in Abuja on Thursday and proceed to Benin same day.
The second leg tie of the fixture will take place in Dar es Salaam on Sept. 30.
The winners over two legs will tackle the winners of the Morocco/Senegal clash in the second round in November.
The 9th FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup finals will be staged in four cities in France from Aug. 7 to Aug. 26 in 2018.
(Source: NAN)