Godfrey Esu blasts NFF over Super Falcons ‘uncelebrated’ departure for FIFA World Cup

• Final list out today
Veteran coach, Godfrey Esu is unhappy with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for the unceremonious departure of the Super Falcons’ to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup holding in France.

The nine times African Champions, who just won the West Africa Football Union (WAFU) Cup in Abidjan, left for Austria on Sunday for the final phase of their preparations for World Cup.

The team will leave Austria for France, venue of the World Cup on Tuesday, June 4, four days before their Group A opener against Norway in Reims. The girls are currently at the Avita Resort in Austria, same venue where the Super Eagles had their final training sessions before hitting Russia for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals.

For Esu, a female team going to the senior World Cup should have been celebrated by the NFF the same way the football house usually rolled out the red carpet for the male team, Super Eagles.

“The World Cup is supposed to be a big publicity for the country,” Esu told The Guardian yesterday. “I was looking forward to seeing the NFF celebrating the departure of our girls to the World Cup, but that was not to be. It is a big shame that a team that is participating in a senior World Cup is given such low publicity.

“I am sure many Nigerians are not even aware that the Super Falcons won the WAFU Cup just before they left the country unceremoniously for the World Cup. How do you expect the fans to follow the team’s preparations and participation at the World Cup when the NFF failed to celebrate their departure? This is not fair for our female national team,” Esu stated.

Meanwhile, coach Thomas Dennerby is expected to name his 23-team final squad today ahead of the May 27 official date set by FIFA for release of all 24 participating squads.