The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has reacted hotly to an interview Super Falcons manager, Randy Waldrum granted with “On the Whistle Podcast” wherein he described NFF’s response to his earlier interview as “a really childish response”.
Waldrum’s revelations on NFF’s lack of support for the Super Falcon had miffed the football body, which responded with an outburst on Friday, June 30, 2023.
The Super Falcons coach then granted another interview where he was said to have added salt to the injury and now being labelled as the “worst coach to have handled he Super Falcons of Nigeria by a country mile”.
“I saw the (NFF) response to my previous comments on the other podcast and it just seemed like a really childish response.
In the two-and-a-half years that I’ve been here, I have never had one time that the federation came to me and asked “What do you need coach?”
“What keeps me going is the players, otherwise, I would have walked away from this job a long time ago. Up until about three weeks ago, I had been owed 14 months’ salary, and then they paid 7 months’ salary.”
“We still have players that haven’t been paid since two years ago when we played the summer series in the USA… it’s a travesty.”
“I’m not going to be quiet anymore… in October, every country was given $960,000 from FIFA to prepare for the world cup. Where’s that money?”
“FIFA allows your staff to have up to 22 people but we only have 11. We don’t have scouts to watch the teams in our groups or potential opponents.”
Randy Waldrum also revealed that before he accepted the Super Falcons coaching job, he had heard of the stories of unpaid coaches and players in Nigerian football, revealing that as a means of shielding himself from total dependence on the salary, he insisted on keeping his job as the coach of the Pittsburgh Panthers.
He said that he is being owed seven months’ salary, which was initially 14 months, added that he came from the United States with the hope that he was brought to implement some changes to the way Nigeria does business, as well as institute some change in the players, one where they are paid regularly and not waiting in an airport for a connecting flight because it was cheaper.
He compared the Nigerian players and the US players, saying that Nigerians like the US players have pride when it comes to playing for their country but that the Nigerian players do not have total pride in playing for the national team due to the way they are treated.
In a response to Randy’s latest comments, NFF Communications Director, Ademola Olajire called Randy an “incompetent loudmouth”.
“Incompetent loudmouth, 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 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. Bullock.”
“His entire objective has always been leading a team at the world cup to his CV. Worst Coach to have handled the Super Falcons of Nigeria by a country mile.”
The Women’s World Cup is in two weeks and this raucous between the NFF and the Super Falcons Coach has supporters and the Media troubled.
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