By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
The recent media war between the nation’s football governing body, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and its employee, Mr. Randy Waldrum concerning the preparedness of Nigeria’s senior women’s football team, Super Falcons, for the 9th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals starting in Australia and New Zealand in 18 days’ time, was most unfortunate.
The Super Falcons Head Coach last week in an unprecedented outbursts accused the NFF of lack of administrative support for the team to prepare adequately for the 32-team competition. He literally said Nigeria is not ready for the mundial.
The American-born coach had in a recent explosive interview with John Krysinsky Podcast expressed his concerns for the Super Falcons ahead of the World Cup kick off in Australia and New Zealand, giving a damming verdict that Nigeria is not prepared for the biggest women’s football competition in the world this year.
Said he: “I know we’re not prepared the way we need to be….been very frustrating with the Federation (NFF) and lack of support.
We were supposed to have a camp from 10 to 12 days in Nigeria before going to Australia for another 10 to 15 days but the Federation cancelled the camp in Nigeria”.
Waldrum who doubles as the current Head Coach of University of Pittsburgh Panthers women’s soccer team went further to berate the NFF for what he believes was the reason Super Falcons failed in the last Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
He accused the NFF of high-handedness by throwing out the Super Falcons second-choice goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi from camp in Morocco for daring to demand for players entitlements, forcing him to pick a local based goalkeeper he has never seen in camp and to also drop his trusted American assistant Lauren Gregg from his coach crew.
Not done, Waldrum fired another salvo, saying: “We have less days than a college preseason to prepare for world cup and it blows my mind because we’ve known about this since last year”.
But the NFF is not an organisation a fly will perch on its nose and balance hence it replied the loquacious Waldrum in the same measure he dished out to the public. Its Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire replied thus:
“We have to first ask when the European season ended. The man wanted a two-week camping for only home-based professionals (whom he already gave very little consideration in his provisional list).
Like two weeks ago, he released his final list of 23, meaning there was absolutely no need for any camping for home-based again except to simply waste resources.
Instead of admitting his glaring deficiencies, he’s there shooting his mouth off.
He knows he will not have Rasheedat Ajibade and Halimatu Ayinde (two key players) for the opening match against Canada, yet he left out Ngozi Okobi and Regina Otu from the squad!
The NFF felt it would make more sense for the 23 to go straight to Australia and camp for 15/16 days acclimatising to the weather and conditions.
The NFF wanted him to groom a home-based goal tender like Chiamaka Nnadozie was groomed. Instead, he kept bringing Yewande Balogun (who actually started as a goalkeeper coach!) all the time without consideration for a home girl. The same lady has only kept goal in one friendly match in over 2 years (and only because Chiamaka was badly injured in a friendly in Mexico earlier this year).
His outbursts are nothing but an after-thought. He’s talking only 3 days to the team’s departure to the World Cup.
You’re saying that you don’t know any home-based goalkeeper but you could pick players like Oluwatosin Demehin, Rofiat Imuran and Deborah Abiodun who had home-based goalkeepers with them at the same U20 WC where you spotted them.
There is no need to say more. The WC is around the corner and he should simply concentrate on the task at hand.
The NFF literally dodged a bullet with his assistant (Lauren Gregg) at the WAFCON in Morocco because of the woman’s failing health. Everyone was scared stiff”.
There is no gainsaying the fact that Waldrum’s tantrum and NFF reply have shown that there is no love lost between the employer and employee, a situation which does not guarantee Nigeria a good outing in Australia and New Zealand as the former has already given reasons he should not be held responsible should Super Falcons fail to fly high at the World Cup in *Down Under*.
Indeed, it will take a miracle for Nigeria to get out of Group B which has reigning Olympics champion, Canada; co-host, Australia and Republic of Ireland as the first two will be very difficult to beat by Nigeria. Also, a win over Republic of Ireland will not guarantee Nigeria passage to the knockout stage of the competition should former African champions lose two group games and two others win more.
Therefore, Nigeria’s progression to round of 16, quarter, semi finals and final in the World Cup has a big question mark even as Nigeria’s first two matches on July 20 against Canada and Australia on July 27 will determine how far the country will go in the competition.
In this case, loses to Canada and co-host, Australia will leave Nigeria hoping to win the last match against Republic of Ireland, an inconsequential tie especially if Canada and Australia go ahead to win their games in the group against Nigeria and two others.
No matter how patriotic anyone can be, it will be difficult to trust Waldrum’s Super Falcons squad to go beyond the first round, not because of the lack of preparations for the team but for the simple fact that the American gaffer does not possess the pedigree to mould a winning team in Australia and New Zealand.
He simply lacks the managerial acumen, technical and tactical prowess to manage a top team like the Super Falcons which has an abundance of talented players as Waldrum himself has severally acknowledged in the media.
His coaching credentials are nothing to write home about as Waldrum was fired as the Trinidad and Tobago women’s national team coach in January 2016, less than two years stint. It was his first international job after he started his coaching career at Austin College, Texas in 1982 as a college soccer coach.
Coaching the nine-time African champions, Nigeria’s senior women’s football team is his biggest achievement so far and he wants to exploit the golden opportunity to beef up his curriculum vitae (cv) hence he needs his team’s preparations for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand this summer to be top notch.
But Waldrum cannot complain of lack of preparations or accuse the NFF of negligence because he has been given more than enough opportunities to mould a winning team if the number of international matches the Super Falcons have played under him are something to rely upon.
The Federation has ensured that Waldrum’s Super Falcons squad have utilized every FIFA football window to play international friendly matches or invitational tournaments since he took over in 2020.
Super Falcons squad seems to be bolstered, with a number of young talents making waves in Europe and other parts of the world. Such is the strength of the Nigerian team that many football strategists and enthusiasts, including Waldrum, have been pondering how the team will file out at the biggest stage this month.
The American tactician, while speaking with *thenff.com* exuded excitement and optimism with the surge of new talents emerging from within and outside the country in recent times and is optimistic of a good outing at the World Cup.
He also lauded the efforts of the NFF in getting quality friendly matches and tournaments for the team including the Antalya Turkey Cup in 2021, Tours of Canada, USA and Japan in 2022,
The Super Falcons participated in the first edition of the Women’s Revelation Cup, which held from the February 15 to 21 in the city of Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico. The Nigeria senior women squad played against the women teams of Mexico, Colombia and Costa Rica in the six-day preparatory tournament for the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the recent two-match international friendlies in Antalya, Turkey in April 2023.
The team claimed a morale-boosting 3-0 victory over World Cup co-hosts New Zealand at the Mardan Stadium in Antalya. Nigeria had four days earlier defeated Haiti 2-1 at the same venue as the team appearef to be growing in confidence with every game lately, and it comes fittingly with few days to the kickoff of the soccer fiesta co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
In fact, Waldrum has confessed that the current Super Falcons squad is loaded with so many talented players, saying: “I think the current Super Falcons squad is loaded with so many talented players and there are a lot of players that have much to offer in the team and I am reasonably excited and hopeful”.
Said he: “Asisat Oshoala is in great form and we all know what she is capable of. When you add players like Desire Oparanozie, who is also very much in the mix, as well as Ifeoma Onumonu, Rasheedat A jibade and Esther Okoronkwo, no doubt, we have so many effective weapons offensively.
“I am confident that we can build something special with this squad. We have also got some bright players like Rofiat Imuran coming in, in her twenties, same with Tosin Demehin, to go along with experienced players like Osinachi Ohale”.
Speaking further she said “Ashleigh Plumptre has also been a great addition for us at the back. I think I love the strength of the team; it’s just about getting the best eleven to play on the pitch.
“Oparanozie, who is also very much in the mix, as well as Ifeoma Onumonu, Rasheedat Ajibade and Esther Okoronkwo, no doubt, we have so many effective weapons offensively. I am confident that we can build something special with this squad.
“We have also got some bright players like Rofiat Imuran coming in, in her twenties, same with Tosin Demehin, to go along with experienced players like Osinachi Ohale. Ashleigh Plumptre has also been a great addition for us at the back. I think I love the strength of the team; it’s just about getting the best eleven to play on the pitch.”
Waldrum is therefore economical with the truth if he is accusing the NFF of frustrating his World Cup preparations after he has enjoyed a tremendous goodwill of the Federation for almost three years hence he should focus with the task ahead and ensure that he fields a decent team that will represent Nigeria well in the football tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
