The situation within the camp of the Super Falcons of Nigeria seems to be quite concerning ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Coach Randy Waldrum, less than two weeks before the tournament’s kick-off, raised questions about the utilization of $960,000 from FIFA by the Nigeria Football Federation.
Waldrum emphasized the need for accountability and expressed his disappointment that the lack of funds has continued to hinder the team’s preparation for the World Cup.
He said, “I have a close contact in the US that is very connected to some of the boards at FIFA, and this person told me that in October, every country was given $960,000 from FIFA to prepare for the World Cup. Where’s the money?”
“If we had that money, why did we not build a camp in November?”
In addition to the lack of funds, Waldrum mentioned that he had unpaid salaries running up to 14 months before receiving payment for seven months a few weeks ago.
Furthermore, he disclosed that several Super Falcons players are still awaiting payment of bonuses owed to them from two years ago: “Up until about three weeks ago, I had been owed 14 months’ salary, and then they paid seven months salary..
“Before that, a year and a half to two years, I had been owed for months before I was paid a little bit of it. Starting July, I’ll be eight months behind in salary.”
These revelations paint a picture of significant financial instability within the team, which can have a detrimental impact on the players’ morale, focus, and overall performance in the upcoming World Cup.
