NFF, Super Falcons coach at war

• ‘Randy Waldrum is clueless’

All is not well in Nigeria’s women’s football. There is a big rift between the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and Super Falcons coach, Randy Waldrum, which is capable of scuttling whatever ambition the country has at the FIFA Women’s World Cup holding in Australia and New Zealand.

The Super Falcons are expected to depart Abuja tomorrow for a 15-day training camp in Australia, before the World Cup with their base at Brisbane, which is also venue for two of their group matches.

Nigerian First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, will today, in Abuja, host a dinner to send forth the team.

But the head coach, Waldrum, is not happy with the NFF over what he described as inadequate preparation of his team for the FIFA Women’s World Cup holding this July.

Nigeria’s opening match is against Olympic champions, Canada, at Melbourne’s Rectangular Stadium on July 21, before matches against co-hosts Australia and Republic of Ireland on July 27 and July 31 respectively at the Lang Park in Brisbane.

“I know we are not prepared the way we need to be, and I have been very frustrated with the NFF and the lack of support,” the coach said. “We were supposed to have a camp for 10-12 days in Nigeria before going to Australia for another 10-15 days, but the federation cancelled the camp in Nigeria.”

Rather than look for a way to sort things out with the team, the NFF Communications Director, Ademola Olajire, lambasted Waldrum for exposing some stories of what is happening behind closed doors.

Ademola dismissed Waldrum’s claims as baseless, just as he referred to the coach as clueless.

“We have first to ask when the European season ended. The man wanted a two-week camp for only home-based professionals. Two weeks ago, he released his final list of 23. There was absolutely no need for any camping for home-based players again, except to waste resources.”

“Instead of admitting his glaring deficiencies, he is there shooting his mouth off. He knows he will not have Rasheedat Ajibade and Halimatu Ayinde for the opening match against Canada, yet he left out Ngozi Okobi and Regina Otu from the squad. His outbursts are nothing but an afterthought. He is only talking three days before the team’s departure to the World Cup,” Olaijire stated.

Rasheedat Ajibade will miss the opening two games at the World Cup due to a previously upheld suspension.