By Victor Enyinnaya on August 14, 2023

As the sweet narrative on Super Falcons exploits on the Australia/Zealand Women World Cup football summit continues to gather steam on ways forward for more formidable Women football entrenchment in the country by way of proffering ways and means, the girls one must restate did their best.  Their opponent s right from Canada to England got it easy against the Nigerians.   It was Super Falcons team that was focused and concentrated strictly on their assignment.  We saw their performance in the games. There was no game the African Champions lagged behind. The team showed the stuff a team can be.

 The round of 16 matches was the icing on the cake.  Apart from stretching the match beyond what the English girls and their bench planned, the game was full of suspense and fears.  The Falcons extended the match beyond the imagination of the Lionesses.

While game continues in Australia, what is uppermost in the minds of mostly Nigerians are how to ensure that by the time the next edition of this tournament begins, Super Falcons would have been fully rejuvenated to the brim that a mere mention of the Nigerian team becomes nightmare to their group opponents.  That is the direction numerous football commentators, buffs and sundry expect the pendulum to swing to.

 History now beacons.  There should not be any need to look too far in search of the right chemistry to achieve such feat.

First is to get the nod from Randy Waldrum, that he would stay put to grow the Falcons.  Once that is settled, he will set the tone by reaching out to the girls he said are not only ball jugglers, but have vehemently pledged to lace their boots for their fatherland in future championships.   

The American tactician has shown gritty, tactically and technically sound to handle the Nigerian flagship Women team in the next World Cup Championship.   We are aware that the major problem of our football is the administrators, who prefer enriching themselves than making the game to grow, and seeing the welfare of the players as most priority.  In most instances what the Nigerian players have witnessed, be it in Women or male teams are short cuts and short changing of players.  The body often spends the bonuses of the players on themselves and their other private endeavours, rather than pay them in due time.

Such chilling and heart rending stories from players of both sexes have left the domain of being tales to the realities on ground today.  Sad aspect remains that no NFF official ever agreed to this guilty as charged stories.  As the players cry foul play to the high heaven, coaches on the other hand have been on daggers down against the same body.  One may not be wrong to emphatically declare that it was because of NFF that FIFA angling this new means to pay directly to the players what accrues to them.

The list of back logged defaults of payments to players of the national teams are legion.  Nothing has been done about it and this dishonesty continues unabated. 

To be honest with you without any prejudice, the apex football governing body in the country has acted more as clog on the wheel of progressive and visited other workable tenets that wouldn’t develop the game in the nation these while.  Making wise moves and acceptable decisions that would practically re-event football in the land would remain the only way forward.

The culture of owing   different national teams their accrued benefits for years now would remain an ill wind and unacceptable by civilized climes and people.

NFF officials who accompanied these teams to the championships received their allowances and other monies they approved for themselves but left the players unpaid.  They forgot it was the players who were the major reason for their travel and at the centre and thick of each competition.

That ugly trend that has been in practice must be reversed forthwith.  All monies owed each player in any of the national teams must be computed and paid.  The players must be treated fairly. They are not begging for it rather it is reward for their labour.

As the players are being taken care of, their coaches and other officials so affected by these long years of neglect by NFF must be looked into too. Therefore, these nasty trends must be nipped on the bud going forward.   

The issue of Super Eagles technical adviser must be treated holistically and moves to hire first rated hand who would take our flagship team, the Super Eagles to the top.  Jose Peresie cannot even handle better NNL club in the country.

Some sections of the sporting media have been in the fore front of this crusade for better days for our players, coaches and other officials of the national teams, while majority  who  are silent benefit from this fraud.

The thrust of this week’s column is the urgent need to revitalize the workings of various national teams in all ramifications.   Their welfare and also employment of sound technical crew for the teams should not be treated with kid gloves as usual.  The issue of Randy Waldrum if he agrees to remain as Super Falcons coach must be accepted.

We will continue to gently remind those who are concerned in the NFF to always imbibe the culture of using best practices in all its operations.   Keep shooting hard till next week. Meanwhile we wait!!

Source Daily Sports Nigeria

Posted August 14, 2023

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