With less than three weeks to the kick-off of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Super Falcons coach Randy Waldrum has lashed out at the NFF over team selection, unpaid bonuses and the absence of his assistant.
The Super Falcons open their 2023 World Cup campaign on July 21 against Olympic champions Canada in a difficult-looking first round group that also has hosts Australia and Republic of Ireland.Waldrum has stirred a major controversy after he alleged that experienced goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi was expelled from the team for demanding for the team to be paid bonuses.
The drama continued when the NFF ordered the American coach to replace Oluehi with a home-based goalkeeper and when he refused, they made sure his assistant Lauren Gregg will not be at the World Cup.
He reported: “After the loss in Morocco (WAFCON 2022), the players hadn’t been paid and so they boycotted training before the match against Zambia.
“My backup goalkeeper (Tochukwu Oluehi) spoke to the federation about not getting paid and they didn’t like how she spoke and so they dismissed her from the national team. Eventually they let her back only if she wrote an apology letter.
“They wanted me to pick a goalkeeper from Nigeria for the World Cup that I have never seen, has never been in one of our camps. I said no, that my contract says I pick my teams, so they retaliated that I can’t take my assistant coach (Lauren Gregg).”
NFF reacts
In a reaction, the football body accused the coach of hiding behind his deficiencies and shifting blames.
The statement by Ademola Olajire who is NFF’s Director of Communication accused Waldrum of trying to waste resources.
“The NFF felt it would make more sense for the 23 to go straight to Australia and camp for 15/16 days acclimatising to the weather and conditions.
“The NFF wanted him to groom a home-based goal tender like Chiamaka Nnadozie was groomed. “Instead, he kept bringing Yewande Balogun (who actually started as a goalkeeper coach!) all the time without consideration for a home girl. The same lady has only kept goal in one friendly match in over 2 years (and only because Chiamaka was badly injured in a friendly in Mexico earlier this year).
“You’re saying that you don’t know any home-based goalkeeper but you could pick players like Oluwatosin Demehin, Rofiat Imuran and Deborah Abiodun who had home-based goalkeepers with them at the same U20 WC where you spotted them.
“His outbursts are nothing but an after-thought. He’s talking only 3 days to the team’s departure to the World Cup.”