Drop aged players, Izilien advises Super Falcons coach

Former Super Falcons coach, Godwin Izilien, has advised Coach Randy Waldrum to exclude aged players from the list of players he will be inviting to the camp ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup to be cohosted by Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20.

Nigeria’s senior women national team will be taking part in the biggest Women football fiesta, following its qualification at the Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) held in Morocco.

Speaking to The Guardian yesterday, Izilien said that dropping aged players should be seen as adding vibrancy to team, adding that benchwarmers in their clubs shouldn’t be considered if the country is to perform well at the tournament.

“For the Super Falcons to excel at the 2023 Women World Cup, I believe the old players in the squad should be sidelined to pave way for the younger ones.

“Playing politics in team’s selection will not augur well for the Super Falcons at the world stage. Other teams in the world are building their teams around young players, because they understand that the lifespan of a female footballer is short.

“This year’s World Cup will be tough as 32 teams will be competing and the coach should brace up for the task ahead by picking the best players for the tournament, “he said.

Izilien added that organising friendlies as tune up games for the girls is key to putting them in the right frame of mind.

“The NFF, at this point, should have started setting out guidelines and programmes to get the girls ready for the World Cup. Quality friendlies and good training programmes should be put in place for them.

“I do not understand why the coach is not going round the country to look for more talents who will put the regular players on their toes for a place in the team. The World Cup is just about six months away and I hope he doesn’t show the same attitude we saw at the AWCON in Morocco?

“If that is what he wants to do again, then the Super Falcons may be shown the exit door very early at the competition. The coach should know that women football has advanced in other climes and all hands must be on deck to ensure that the Falcons made the country proud come July,” he stated.