Super Falcons head coach Justin Madugu has said the omission of Washington Spirit forward, Gift Monday, from Nigeria’s WAFCON squad is due to intense competition for limited positions for the upcoming tournament.
The 2024 WAFCON tournament will be played from 5 to 26 July in Morocco.
Madugu, who spoke to journalists in Abuja before the team’s departure to Portugal for their pre-tournament training camp, acknowledged the difficulty of leaving out players like Monday, who featured in the last WAFCON and the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
The coach noted that her omission was not about her ability or fitness.
‘You see, it’s not an easy decision for us. We are human beings. These players are all our players, and they belong to the country’, Madugu said.
‘When you have to pick a certain number from a large pool of players, it’s not easy. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but before we arrived at the decision, we had to do a proper analysis of all the players in those positions, their strengths, their weaknesses, and their versatility’.
The coach made it clear that Monday’s omission was not an isolated decision but part of a wider selection process that involved difficult choices.
‘There were a lot of other players, even from the domestic league, that we had hoped to include. But CAF regulations restrict us to a specific number, and we had to work within that limit.
‘If we begin to explain why each player was not picked, it might look like we are running them down, which is not fair’, he added.
Madugu’s explanation comes days after Monday shared an emotional message on social media expressing her disappointment at being left out of the squad, while also vowing to return stronger and pledging her support for the team from home.
Although the 23-year-old has had a solid run with her club side in the United States, scoring consistently in the National Women’s Soccer League, her efforts were not enough to earn her a place in the final squad.
She was part of the team that finished fourth at the last WAFCON in Morocco and also featured in the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Madugu, however, reiterated that the final list was about achieving the right balance between experience and youth.
‘When you are preparing a team, you have to think about the short term, the medium term, and the long term. That’s why we have a blend of experienced players and young talents’, he said.
Nigeria will be seeking a 10th continental title at the tournament which will be played from 5 to 26 July.
Madugu’s side are in Group B where they will face Tunisia, Algeria and Botswana.
The Super Falcons will begin their quest for the title they last won in 2018 on 6 July, with an opening Group B match against Tunisia at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca.
