Super Falcons coach, Randy Waldrum, has taken a swipe at the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) over the team’s poor preparations ahead of the forthcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup billed to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand from 20th July to 20th August.
It’s been no love lost between the American gaffer and federation officials recently, with Waldrum seemingly frustrated by his side’s poor preparations for the championship after the NFF cancelled a training camp scheduled for 20th June in Abuja, meaning the 23-woman squad had to travel to host country Australia to kickstart preparations.
On a podcast show, On the Whistle, Waldrum tasked the federation to give an account of the $960,000 FIFA paid the federation for the Falcons’ preparations for the World Cup, which kicks off in 12 days.
The 66-year-old stated that the NFF owed him seven months’ salaries while some of the Falcons players were still owed match bonuses spanning two years.
Waldrum said: “My issues with the federation are my issues, but I’m not going to be quiet anymore.
“I have a real close contact in the US that is very connected and on some of the boards at FIFA. This person told me, that in October 2022, every country was given $960,000 from FIFA to prepare for the World Cup. Where is that money? If Nigeria got it in October, why didn’t we have a camp in November?
“The other thing I found out from my FIFA connection is that if countries don’t have the money to buy the business class tickets for everybody, FIFA would front that money and buy those tickets and then just deduct it from the money you get from FIFA after the World Cup.
“So, there’s no excuse of saying ‘We didn’t have money to buy tickets, so we couldn’t have camp’ but these are the kinds of things that the people in Nigeria don’t question. Where does $960,000 go?
“Why aren’t we prepared properly”?
Waldrum added that he would have quit the team before now but for the players.
He further said: “I saw the NFF response to my previous comments on the other podcast and it just seemed like a really childish response.
“What keeps me going is the players, otherwise, I would have walked away from this job a long time ago”.
In a swift response to Waldrum’s outburst, the NFF, through its media director, Mr. Ademola Olajire said the American is the worst Falcons coach ever.
Olajire said: “Incompetent loud mouth (Waldrum) found his voice now since he’s about to achieve his only ambition of leading a team at the World Cup.
“Everyone knows FIFA pays preparation money for every team going to the Women’s World Cup.
“The team travelled to Japan to play friendlies matches, travelled to Mexico for a tournament and travelled to Turkey to play matches. The team is presently having a 15-day training camp in Gold Coast ahead of the Women’s World Cup. Is it Mr Blabbermouth Waldrum who has been paying?
“He claims he’s been at the job because of the players. Bollocks. His entire objective has always been to add leading a team to the World Cup to his CV. Worst coach to have handled the Super Falcons by a country mile”.
Meanwhile, the Falcons are embroiled in another controversy with aggrieved players threatening World Cup boycott after their match bonuses for the competition was cancelled by the federation, following a meeting with the General Secretary of the NFF, Mohammed Sanusi.
Sanusi, it was exclusively learnt, also informed the players that they would no longer be paid 30 per cent from the $1,560,000 FIFA grant to all member associations for the group stage of the competition.
