Former Super Falcons Coach Waldrum Questions NFF Over Use Of $960,000 FIFA World Cup Grant

Randy Waldrum, who previously served as the head coach for the Super Falcons, has demanded that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) provide a clear account of the way it utilized the $960,000 that he firmly believes FIFA distributed to every single nation involved in the tournament back in October 2022 specifically for getting ready in advance of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup held in both Australia and New Zealand.

In a particular video clip that has spread rapidly across various social media platforms, Waldrum leveled accusations against the federation for not arranging an appropriate training camp prior to the tournament even though they had obtained the funding. “I have a real close contact here in the US that is very connected with some of the board at FIFA. This person told me that in October, every country was given $960,000 from FIFA to prepare for the World Cup. Where is that money?” he asked.

Waldrum expressed strong disapproval regarding what he referred to as inadequate organization surrounding the team’s friendly match in Japan during October 2022, noting that the overall arrangements resulted in his players becoming extremely tired from a physical standpoint. “We went to Japan, we flew in, played the game, and went home. Some of our players didn’t arrive until the morning before the game. Five players who were going to start for me arrived the night before, after travelling 16 hours. We wasted the last five days of that window to train,” he said.

Additionally, he brought up issues concerning the overall number and effectiveness of Nigeria’s technical team members, maintaining that the federation had not complied with the guidelines that FIFA officially approves. As he explained, FIFA permits national teams to bring along as many as 22 individuals in technical roles, but Nigeria’s group consisted of merely around 11 people. “I don’t have an analyst, and I scout. The US has a scout in Europe watching teams. We don’t even have scouts going with us to Australia. Everything I have to do is on videos and what I can pick up online,” he lamented.

Waldrum went on to contend that FIFA officially permits travel in business class and subsequently subtracts the expenses from the prize earnings of the federations, emphasizing that there existed absolutely no valid reason for substandard travel setups or training camps that were arranged in a disorganized manner.

Although his claims have sparked fresh discussions about the preparations undertaken by the team, official documents indicate that the Super Falcons indeed took part in a range of different events leading up to the World Cup competition. They engaged in several international friendly games facing off against the USA during August 2022, Japan during October 2022, and Mexico during February 2023. Furthermore, the squad set up a camp in Turkey during April 2023, during which they managed to beat New Zealand by a score of 3–0 and Haiti by a score of 2–1, and subsequently conducted a preparatory training session on the Gold Coast located in Australia spanning from July 4 through to July 11, including a friendly match versus Lions FC prior to shifting to their designated FIFA camp situated in Brisbane.

Even with the various issues highlighted by their ex-coach, the Super Falcons proceeded to achieve one of the most outstanding performances in the World Cup during the past several years. They managed to secure goalless draws against both Canada and Ireland, triumphed over the co-hosting nation Australia with a score of 3–2 in an exciting and intense matchup, and advanced all the way to the Round of 16 stage, at which point they were defeated by a penalty shootout score of 4–2 against England, who later became the finalists, following a highly competitive 0–0 draw that was full of suspense.

Up to this point, the NFF has not released any kind of formal statement addressing the latest accusations made by Waldrum.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli