Tag: SUPER FALCONS

Randy Waldrum has resigned as coach of the country’s women’s team, the Super Falcons, citing family reasons.

The 67-year-old American said in his resignation letter dated September 12, 2024, that his wife’s failing health caused his decision.

“It’s been a very difficult few weeks following the Olympics, with my wife’s health issues, and the worries that come with that,” part of the resignation letter read.

“After much thought and consideration, I am hereby resigning my position as Head Coach of the Super Falcons.

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“This will allow the NFF ample time to find the next manager to take over this incredible squad.”

Waldrum led the Super Falcons to reach the Round of 16 of last year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and also qualified the team to the Paris 2024 Olympics for the first time in 12 years.

However, his relationship with his employers, the NFF, was at times frosty after he openly criticised them for not being professional.

SCORENigeria can exclusively report that the Super Falcons have each received at least N17 Million even though they lost all three group games at the recent Paris 2024 Olympics.

A top official informed SCORENigeria that the Super Falcons received training grants of over N9m each as well as daily allowances of at least N8m for both their training camp in Spain as well as for their stay in France for the Olympics.

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The Super Falcons fell 1-0 to eventual finalists Brazil, lost to semifinalists Spain also by the odd goal, before they were beaten 3-1 by Japan in a final group game.

They were making a return to the Olympics after a 16-year absence.

Super Falcons’ Chidinma Okeke has teamed up with Mexican side, Club America on a permanent move.

The high flying technical defender joined the Mexican club from Japanese side, Mynavi Sendai Ladies where she had a stellar 2023/2024 campaign season.

She was an integral part of MySendai scintillating run in the Japanese Women’s Empowerment Professional Football League as her interceptions and blocks were a huge asset for the club.

Read Also: Super Falcons retain position on FIFA rankings

The Super Falcons defender fantastic form in Japan led her to be called up to the national team where she made an indelible mark in ensuring Nigeria’s qualification to the 2024 Paris Olympics after overcoming South Africa in the last qualifying stage.

Okeke star for Nigeria at the Paris Olympics which led to numerous clubs vying for her signature before committing her future to Club America.

Despite possessing good marking skills, she has also got a good eye for goal as she scored six goals in 26 appearances for Hapoel Be’er Sheva in Israel in the 2022/2023 season and made two assists for MyNavi Sendai in Japan.

Nigeria’s Super Falcons have maintained their 36th position in the latest FIFA Women’s World Ranking, despite a disappointing performance at the Paris Olympic Games earlier this month, Soccernet.ng reports.

The rankings, released by FIFA on Friday, August 16, 2024, show that the Nigerian team holds steady in their pre-Olympics spot.

In Africa, the Super Falcons remain the top-ranked team, followed closely by South Africa’s Banyana Banyana. Morocco, Zambia, and Ghana complete the continent’s top five.

The Falcons’ ranking reflects their challenging experience in Paris, where they struggled against formidable opposition.

Drawn into a tough group with Olympic finalists Brazil, reigning world champions Spain, and Asian giants Japan, Nigeria faced an uphill battle from the start.

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They narrowly lost their opening match 1-0 to Brazil and suffered another 1-0 defeat to Spain. In their final group game, they were beaten 3-1 by Japan, ending their Olympic campaign at the bottom of the group.

Zambia, Africa’s other representative in Paris, saw an improvement in their FIFA ranking, climbing to 62nd place despite also losing all three of their group matches.

South Africa and Tunisia were among the other African teams to make gains, with Banyana Banyana now ranked 50th and Tunisia rising to 58th.

On the global stage, the United States reclaimed the top spot after winning the Olympic gold, while Brazil’s silver medal helped them move up to eighth.

Spain, despite reaching the latter stages, dropped to third, with England moving up to second. Germany and Sweden complete the world’s top five.

The next FIFA Women’s World Ranking is scheduled for release on December 20, 2024.

Coach Randy Wadrum has blamed the Super Falcons’ disastrous outing at the Paris 2024 Olympics on poor preparations.

The Super Falcons’ return to the Olympics after a 16-year absence was most forgettable as they lost all three group games.

Nigeria were drawn into a “tough” group with women’s football powerhouses Spain and Japan and could only manage to score a goal in three games.

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“We prepared for them (all the three opponents) based on the fact that we haven’t had a lot of time,” Waldrum told ESPN. We missed the last (international break) window before the Olympics, and so we missed 10 days of good training before the Olympics.”

Waldrum’s contract with the NFF ended with the Olympics.

Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, extends his heartfelt appreciation to the Super Falcons of Nigeria and badminton player Anuoluwapo Opeyori for their commendable representation of Nigeria at the 2024 Olympic Games.

In his statement, Enoh stated thus: “Our dear Super Falcons and Anuoluwapo, we thank you for representing our country in football and badminton, respectively. Not every sportsman or sportswoman has the honour of making it to the Olympics. Your participation and efforts have filled us with pride. Well done, stars.”

The Minister emphasized the importance of their participation, highlighting that qualifying for and competing at the Olympics is a remarkable achievement that demonstrates dedication, skill, and perseverance.

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He assured the athletes that their contributions to Nigerian sports have not gone unnoticed and expressed optimism about their future endeavours.

Senator Enoh also urged the athletes to continue working hard, aiming for even greater achievements in the future.

“Your journey and hard work inspire many young Nigerians to pursue excellence in sports. As we look beyond the present, I encourage you to keep striving for better placements and to build on the foundation you’ve laid. Your determination and dedication are key to achieving even greater success in the coming years,” the Minister added.

“We are proud of your achievements and look forward to more successes in the future. Thank you for representing Nigeria with pride and determination,” he concluded.

Super Falcons midfielder Jennifer Echegini has disclosed that the Nigeria’s senior national team failed again against Japan in their last group game of the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic Games because of their lack of firepower in the attack.

Echegini noted that the Super Falcons would have gotten better results  than they did in their three games if they had taken more risks in the final third than they did in France.

In their final group game against Japan at the Stade de La Beaujoire in Nantes, the new PSG signing delivered what turned out to be the Super Falcons’ only goal of the tournament.

This loss marked their third consecutive defeat in the tournament, following earlier 1-0 losses to Brazil and Spain. The West Africans’ return to the global multisport event after a 16-year hiatus has been challenging and ultimately forgettable.

Echegini recounted the difficulty of the game, stressing the need for the team to trust themselves more offensively.

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 “The game against Japan was the toughest. I think we need to trust ourselves more offensively,” Echegini told TotoriNews. “In the past two games, we played defensively and maybe hoped to get away with it, but in the end, we were hurt.”

Despite the defeat, Echegini saw positives in the team’s performance against Japan.

“We should have played more offensively like we did today, trusting ourselves both offensively and defensively,” she noted. This shift in approach allowed the team to display their potential and fight against a formidable opponent.

Echegini also reflected on missed opportunities in previous matches against Spain and Brazil.

“We could have capitalized against Spain and Brazil, but it just wasn’t meant to be. We can talk about chances that we should have finished, but those opportunities have passed.

Against much expectation, the Super Falcons failed to fly in their final match of Group C of the Paris 2024 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament. Their 1-3 loss to the Asians turned out to be their biggest loss of the tournament and they return home without a point from their first outing at the Olympics in 16 years.

After 0-1 defeats by Brazil and Spain in their two earlier matches, the Falcons were expected to throw the kitchen sink at the Asian champions. Instead, the Nadeshiko were two goals up just a little after the half-hour mark, both scored within 10 minutes of each other.

Mika Hamano fired past goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie to give the Asian champions the lead after 22 minutes, and in the 32^nd , Mina Tanaka doubled the lead, leaving the nine-time African champions with a heavy burden to lift to stand a chance of victory.

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Jennifer Echegini briefly gave hope of that possibility, with a brilliant strike with three minutes to go into recess, but the Japanese restored their two-goal advantage in added time of first half when Hamano got her second with a superb free-kick.

The much-expected revamp in the second half failed to materialize, and the Super Falcons have departed the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament in France without making a single point and scoring only one goal in their three matches.