Former Super Falcons head coach Randy Waldrum has challenged the Nigeria Football Federation to account for $960,000 he says FIFA disbursed to all participating nations in October 2022 to prepare for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, Waldrum accused the federation of failing to organise a proper pre-tournament training camp despite receiving the grant. “I have a real close contact here in the US that is very connected with some of the board at FIFA. This person told me that in October, every country was given $960,000 from FIFA to prepare for the World Cup. Where is that money?” he asked.
He criticised the planning for the team’s October 2022 friendly in Japan, saying the logistics left players physically exhausted. “We went to Japan, we flew in, played the game, and went home. Some of our players didn’t arrive until the morning before the game. Five players who were going to start for me arrived the night before, after travelling 16 hours. We wasted the last five days of that window to train,” he said.
Waldrum also raised concerns about the size and capacity of Nigeria’s technical staff, noting that FIFA allows teams to travel with up to 22 technical personnel, yet Nigeria’s contingent included only about 11. “I don’t have an analyst, and I scout. The US has a scout in Europe watching teams. We don’t even have scouts going with us to Australia. Everything I have to do is on videos and what I can pick up online,” he said. He added that while FIFA permits business-class travel and deducts the cost from federations’ prize money, Nigeria’s arrangements were inadequate.
Despite Waldrum’s claims, records show the Super Falcons participated in several preparatory activities before the World Cup. They played international friendlies against the USA in August 2022, Japan in October 2022, and Mexico in February 2023. The team camped in Turkey in April 2023, defeating New Zealand 3–0 and Haiti 2–1, and held a training tour on the Gold Coast in Australia from July 4 to 11, playing a friendly against Lions FC before moving to their official FIFA camp in Brisbane.
The Super Falcons delivered one of their most impressive World Cup performances in recent years, holding Canada and Ireland to goalless draws, defeating co-hosts Australia 3–2, and progressing to the Round of 16, where they lost 4–2 on penalties to eventual finalists England after a 0–0 draw.
The Nigeria Football Federation has not yet issued an official response to Waldrum’s renewed allegations.
