Less than two weeks since the botched appointment of Bruno Labbadia as the head coach of the Super Eagles, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) faces the onerous task of finding another coach for the Super Falcons, following the resignation of Randy Waldrum.
The American tactician’s resignation became public in the early hours of Friday, coming as a shock for many, but that could be more for the NFF that had handed the coach a contract extension a few months back.
The 67-year-old, who has just led Nigeria to the Women’s Football Tournament of the 2024 Olympics Games in France, stated his wife’s health condition as the reason for his resignation.
“It’s been a very difficult few weeks following the Olympics, with my wife’s health issues and the worries that obviously come with that. After much thought and consideration, I am hereby resigning my position as head coach of the Super Falcons. This will allow the NFF ample time to find the next manager to take over this incredible squad”, Waldrum wrote.
“I always wanted to leave any project better off than when I took it over, and I believe we have done that with the Super Falcons. We have built a squad that can compete consistently with any top team in the world. The future is bright with the current team, as well as the up-and-coming U20 and U17 pool of players”.
In his 1,167-word letter, Waldrum also revisited his recent games in charge of the team at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Olympics, as part of his achievements with the team.
“That’s seven of the world’s top 10 teams in FIFA rankings, and we won 1, drew 3, lost 3! No other Super Falcons team has had that kind of success against the world’s best. This team has proven it can be one of the best in the world and play against any team without fear”, the coach added.
Waldrum was appointed by the NFF in 2020 and led the Super Falcons to the 2022 WAFCON in Morocco, where the team finished fourth—the worst performance by the 11-time African champions in the history of the competition.
Following that dismal outing, the Americans’s reign was usually under scrutiny by Nigerians until the 2023 Women’s World Cup, where the Falcons showed class against top teams in the world.
While he will not get the chance to prove himself at another WAFCON, Nigerians, including ex-Falcons stars, are already suggesting the calibre of coach the NFF should hire.
A former forward believes it’s time to have faith in Nigerian coaches to take charge of the team again.
“Our team has dominated the continent for many years, and we can still do that again. Our coaches can do the job as well, and they need to be patient with them. There is no point for any fire brigade approach here; allow our coaches to handle the team; let them build, and I believe there are better days ahead”, she said.
“I hope the NFF can move quickly and hire a substantive coach who will lead the team into the next phase. We have dominated Africa; we need a coach that will make us competitive on the world stage”, a sports administrator, Ayodeji Adegbenro, told PUNCH.
“If I were the one making the decision, I’d hire Justin Madugu. He did well as interim coach and qualified the team for the Olympics. Wemimo Mathew is also a very good coach”.
A UK-based Nigerian sports marketing consultant and former media officer of Sunshine Stars FC, Chris Okunnuwa, also believes it’s time to show their recent investment in women’s coaching education.
“The NFF has organised a CAF course for women coaches recently, and I believe they need to believe in their products as well as other Nigerian coaches who have worked with coach Waldrum during his time”.
A fan, Henry Oloye, also hopes the resignation will not leave the Super Falcons in limbo like the Super Eagles.
“If only we were well organised, this shouldn’t be a problem, but it will become a serious problem.
“If they quietly get another competent coach in, we should be fine, but they won’t because everything is politics in Nigeria. Just watch”.
The 2024 WAFCON, which will be a major assignment for the team, has been postponed until July 2025.
