Waldrum queries NFF over alleged $960,000 FIFA World Cup grant

Waldrum queries NFF over alleged $960,000 FIFA World Cup grant

Former Super Falcons head coach Randy Waldrum has challenged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to account for the $960,000 he claims FIFA disbursed to all participating nations in October 2022 for preparations ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

In a viral video circulating on social media, Waldrum alleged that despite receiving the grant, the NFF failed to organise a proper pre-tournament training camp for the nine-time African champions.

Read Also: 2024 Olympics Qualifier: Waldrum charges Super Falcons to be more clinical

Waldrum, whose team exited the tournament in the Round of 16 after a penalty shootout defeat to England, argued that the Super Falcons’ preparation was severely compromised by NFF’s failure to release the funds meant to support the team’s build-up.

He insisted that FIFA had provided $960,000 to aid Nigeria’s World Cup preparations.

“I have a close contact here in the U.S. who is very connected with some members of the FIFA board,” Waldrum said in the video.

“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?”

Waldrum also criticised the poorly managed October 2022 friendly match against Japan, describing the trip as physically taxing for his players.

“If Nigeria got that money, why didn’t we have a camp in November?” he asked. We went to Japan, flew in, played the game, and went home. Some of our players didn’t arrive until the morning of the game.

“I think five players who were supposed to start arrived the night before, and the game was at 4:00 p.m. They had travelled 16 hours by plane. We played Japan and then went home. We wasted the remaining five days of that window that should have been used for training.”

Head of Sports at BusinessDay Media, a seasoned Digital Content Producer, and FIFA/CAF Accredited Journalist with over a decade of sports reporting.Has a deep understanding of the Nigerian and global sports landscape and skills in delivering comprehensive and insightful sports content.

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