Super Falcons coach makes key request ahead of Paris Olympic games participation
After successfully leading Nigeria’s Super Falcons charge for 2024 Paris Olympic games qualification, Coach Randy Waldrum has made a key request .
The American-born gaffer is asking that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and Minister of Sports, Senator John Enoh to make sure the team gets adequate preparations ahead of the Olympic games.
This was part of his comments at the post-match press briefing shortly after the Super Falcons qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics on Tuesday.
The Super Falcons booked their ticket to the Olympics after a tense goalless draw against South Africa’s Banyana Banyana in Pretoria.
The team had on Friday in the first leg pipped their South African counterparts 1-0, which ultimately secured their qualification for the Olympics in 16 years.
Waldrum said: “My plea is to the Minister of Sports and to the Federation to help us prepare properly. We need to camp in Europe to prepare for the group we have. We need proper training. We need proper transportation.
“We need to do things right because these women deserve this opportunity to represent our country in the best possible way as we know. If you look at our group, it’s the group of death. I am already thinking about what we need to do to get ready.”
The Super Falcons will battle Brazil, Spain and Japan in Group C of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games female football event.
Having kept several clean sheets on their way to Paris, Waldrum noted that the Super Falcons are good defensively but that the team needs to get better in the attack.
“The team did everything we asked them to do to get the result. We knew South Africa would come at us. We respect their strength. We respect their team very much. We know what their qualities are but I think this is our 7th or 8th clean sheets in our last 8 or 9 games.
“So, we did very good defensively and I felt strong about that and with some better work, we will get better on the offensive side.
“But we need some time to prepare and get our players together. I know how much it means to the fans of Nigeria and the NFF not to have qualified for 16 years. To them, I am very thankful and very happy.”
