Coach Waldrum urges the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to explain the whereabouts of the Super Falcons’ $960k funds received from FIFA.

The Nigerian Football Federation responds to coach Randy Waldrum, dismissing his competence. According to Saturday PUNCH, Waldrum has expressed dissatisfaction with the federation’s handling of the Super Falcons’ preparations for the upcoming Women’s World Cup, scheduled to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20.

Tensions have been high between the American coach and federation officials, particularly after the NFF canceled a training camp that was supposed to take place on June 20 in Abuja. As a result, the 23-player squad had to travel to Australia, the host country, to begin their preparations.

During a podcast show called ‘On the Whistle,’ Waldrum demanded transparency from the federation regarding the $960,000 payment received from FIFA for the Falcons’ World Cup preparations. He also highlighted that he had not been paid his salaries for seven months, while some of the players were owed match bonuses for two years.

Waldrum expressed his frustration, stating, “My issues with the federation are my issues, but I’m not going to be quiet anymore.” He shared information from his contact at FIFA, revealing that each country participating in the World Cup received $960,000 in October 2022. He questioned why Nigeria did not have a training camp in November if they had received the funds. He also mentioned that FIFA provides financial support for purchasing business class tickets if a country lacks the funds, with the amount deducted from the FIFA payment after the World Cup.

Despite his grievances, Waldrum mentioned that he would have quit the team earlier if not for the players.

In response to Waldrum’s comments, the NFF’s media director, Ademola Olajire, referred to the American coach as the worst Falcons coach ever. Olajire dismissed Waldrum’s claims, stating that preparation money is provided by FIFA for all teams participating in the Women’s World Cup. He highlighted the team’s participation in friendly matches in Japan, a tournament in Mexico, and matches in Turkey. Olajire also mentioned that the team is currently undergoing a 15-day training camp in Gold Coast ahead of the World Cup.

Furthermore, the Super Falcons are facing another controversy as players threaten to boycott the World Cup due to the cancellation of their match bonuses by the federation. The General Secretary of the NFF, Mohammed Sanusi, reportedly informed the players that they would no longer receive 30% of the $1,560,000 FIFA grant allocated to member associations for the group stage of the competition.

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