Nigerian Coaches Far Better Than Waldrum —Super Falcons Star, Okobi


Super Falcons midfielder Ngozi Okobi has blasted head coach Randy Waldrum, saying he is not better than local coaches in Nigeria.

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Okobi stated this following an interview Waldrum did with Pittsburgh Soccer Now (PSN) with the FIFA women’s World Cup just few weeks before commencement.

In the interview, Waldrum said his squad is not prepared the way they need to be, pointing out the lack of support he and the players have experienced in working with the Nigerian National Football Federation (NFF).

But reacting to the interview Okobi, who was dropped from Waldrum’s final 23 players for the World Cup, posited that the American is just making excuses knowing he will not perform.



“He is trying to find excuses because he knows he is going to fail but I must tell you Randy has been the luckiest one among all the coaches, I’m saying this based on experience what I know that has been happening,” Okobi said on Brila FM.

“This man is just bringing in all these excuses because he just want to let people know that he is not doing the wrong thing but he is actually doing the biggest wrong thing among all of them.

“He told them (NFF) he needed a camp in Nigeria which the federation didn’t want to because they don’t have money. I wish he would just get angry and leave the job if he feels he’s been frustrated, it’s not a must that he goes to the World Cup.

“It’s just sad that the NFF will allow him go Scot free on this interview he did and I know he cooked this one up. He is not someone you will help to blow an issue, he is someone you tell to shut up and go and sit outside.

“Randy is not a coach for the Super Falcons, forget about our differences right now he is the least coach that has been coaching the Super Falcons. Even our own local coaches they are far better than him, he doesn’t understand football. He couldn’t stand me making some things right that he didn’t teach us those are the things he’s fighting me for nothing else.

“He’s just seeking attention for people to look at him just in case he fails which I’m not praying for because I want them to go beyond the round of 16.“

The Falcons will take on Australia, Canada and Republic of Ireland in the group stage at this year’s World Cup which will run from July 20 to August 30.

Lalasticlala mynd44
https://www.completesports.com/nigerian-coaches-far-better-than-waldrum-super-falcons-star-okobi/

See some reactions. And COMMENTS



Ololo 2 days ago
Women talk too much and can’t control their emotions.. you hardly find this with men football.. that a male player was dropped before a tournament doesn’t give you the right to talk down on your coach… Everyone will never make the team.. many great male players have sometimes failed to make the squad for major tournament yet they go back and work harder..

What the coach lamented of is the truth, let’s face it… This can never happen with the male team.. a world cup for that matter and we are having all this crises here and there… Other things are playing friendlies we are talking of dinner in Abuja before they travel…

Okobi should have allowed nff reply the coach and not her.. she is still an active footballer.

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EHIS 2 days ago
E taya me ooo. It’s unnecessary to say all that to the coach, previous local coaches never did better in the first place.

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josh 2 days ago
I beg to disagree with you that, “previous local coaches never did better than Waldrum.” If local coaches were the ones who have been giving us the kind of embarrassing results Waldrum has been giving us as coach of the super falcons, they would have been long gone or sacked by this NFF. But NFF has since failed to do the needful with Waldrum.

Do you think that it will ever happen in Nigeria that the NFF will employ a polytechnic or university coach as coach of the super falcons? But this is what they have done with Waldrum and the reason is simply because the man is an oyinbo. Talk about colonial mentality!

Back to Okobi, a careful observer will know that Waldrum never liked Okobi in the first place. Take a look at the last nations cup, in Waldrum’s first match, Okobi was dropped to the bench even when he knew that his midfield was weak. It was after the first match and after he realized that his preferred midfielders were not really performing that he decided to look Okobi’s way. Or how else can we explain his insistence on continuing to use Onumonu as falcon’s arrow head when Onumonu’s output as super falcon’s point-man has been below average. Waldrum has his favorite players. Unfortunately, most of them are not the best in this current super falcons. This and many other reasons is why he should not remain as coach of super falcons.

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Kel 2 days ago
You echo my thoughts @Josh on Okobi and Ifeoma. Ifeoma must be one of his college students in the US. His bias for her is “clear to the blind and audible to the deaf”. Lol.

But I also think NFF is handicapped by contractual obligations, especially as this is an American who you cannot mess with when it comes to a signed agreement.

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Dr. Drey 2 days ago
….and your hatred and negative bias towards Ifeoma remains a mystery even to Solomon himself.

Please can you tell us any other person who has played the CF or No 9 position in the SF under Waldrum, including Asisat Oshoala, and done better than Ifeoma?

The girl has about 5 goals and 3 assists in 14 matches (1 goal contribution every 1.75 matches) so far, if my memory serves me right. I challenge you to pull out the names and stats of a better no 9 in that team under Waldrum thus far.

Please when last did anyone even recall Oshoala, the highest goal scorer in the Spanish league scoring a goal under Waldrum or even delivering an assist…??

Fact is that Waldrum’s tasteless tactics (if at all he has any) will make even the best no 9 in the world look useless on the pitch.

Everyone is a Victor Osimhen who will thrive as a No 9 sandwiched between 2 CBs without service from the wingers or the midfielders.

Love her or loathe her, we still all have her to thank for that intelligent assist of hers to Ajibade vs Cameroon that got us to the WC in the first place

Kel 2 days ago
Haba, Dr Drey, how would you say I hate Ifeoma? Far from it. She’s brilliant, no doubt, and occasionally conjures up moments of magic that saves the day like the case you referred to. But a lethal number 9 feared by opponents (a la South Africa’s Kgatlana, Cameroun’s Ajara or Ougene, or Nigeria’s Oparanozie in her heydays), naaah – even though Waldruim keeps playing her all the time and offers little chance to others.

As for Oshoala, her underwhelming performance in the colors of Nigeria is baffling and there many theories have been floated to explain it away. Still, it defies logic.

As you said, maybe the problem isn’t these players, but the substandard college coach appointed by Pinnick (just as he did across board, including the SE). Let’s hope a new and quality coach will be able to mine diamonds from these raw talents after the World Cup – after all, Waldrum has told us not to expect much from the team as they are ill-prepared and therefore guaranteed to be booted out early.

Dr. Drey 2 days ago
Well, your comments about her gives you out Kel. And it is really unfair.

Ifeoma can never be an Oparanozie, she will never be Ajara, nor Thembi.

She wasn’t raised on the dusty streets of Africa, neither was she trained to play the raw African way – sheer brute force.

She isn’t in anyway a typical example of physicality, but what she lacks in physique she makes up abundantly with technique. Her movement – superb, Hold-up play – awesome, 1st touch – fantastic, and her finishing is not in anyway awful. I cant remember her even being disposed of the ball in a hold-up play. No matter how high the ball is in the air, she will still bring it down to feet and find a teammate. She brings others into the game so well.

It is not her fault that Wladrum flanks her with one wide forward in Copenhagen and the other wide forward in Capetown with the Pacific Ocean between her and Chikwelu or whoever is supposed to be playing 8 or 10 behind her.

We cant always have all our CFs having the same style of play. It wouldn’t help us in difficult situations. Just like Napoli this past season, they had Osimhen with his one-man riot squad style, a Simeone who is in no way physical but highly technical, and a Raspadori who is neither of the 2 but very intelligent and can play in the tightest of spaces. And having these variety really bailed them out of some really sticky situations during the course of their season.

So Ifeoma is a different type of CF, we just have to accept that fact and deal with it the way it is. I dont see any future SF dropping her if she’s fully fit and active. Unless they want to import their anti-foreign-born sentiments into the SF too.

Its like wanting the deceptively languid Perpetua Nkwocha to play like all-action Marvelous Mercy Akide….no ways. It wouldn’t happen. But I remembered them both combining to devastating effect at the 2002 WAFCON and 2004 Olympics. Then Perpe was just making her way into the team while Mercy was about to bow out. So it was a good way to ease one in and the other out by playing them together and subsequently build the team around the playing style of the former.

If we can have a coach that knows what he’s doing, Ify is the type of universal strike partner with any other CF currently in the team and a laid-back 4-4-2 diamond formation will bring the best out of the current team and the effects will be devastating.

Sly 2 days ago
When you read Waldrums full interview, it was he and not NFF who dropped Okobi so I think they had had a “private” fallout. NFF in their own reply said 2 key players would be suspended for the first game “yet Waldrum dropped okobi and otu blah blah”

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Howard Nwoye 2 days ago
You’re on point, Okobi is letting her emotions get the best of her. A coach asking for camping before a major tournament is not an aberration. The guy is doing the best he can given his circumstances. Those deriding his credentials should just hush and focus on their on frailties.

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Kel 2 days ago
True @Ololo. I remember Iheanacho being dropped for the 2019 Afcon and he took it on the chin. No complaints, no drama, and no grudges. And when he was recalled for 2022 he integrated back into the team like nothing happened and even scored a wonder goal against Egypt in the opener.

As a side note, why did Complete Sports or the transcriber of this interview repeat the raw script verbatim without proper edits? Even if they used Grammarly Basic, there’ll be tons of words underlined in red. This is jarring to the ear and hard on the eye to read.

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9jaRealist 10 hours ago
@Ololo, I guess Coach Randy who “talked too much and couldn’t control his own emotions” is also a woman?!

I don’t blame you though because most Nigerians are raised in a sexist (and even misogynistic) culture, but there’s nothing wrong anyone (particularly any Nigerian whose taxes theoretically pay Randy’s bills) calling out Coach Randy for the PISS-POOR and TECHNICALLY LIMITED coach that he is. The only annoying thing is that the unprofessional NFF is giving him the ready-made EXCUSE he will need if the Falcons perform poorly at the WC.

After force-feeding Nigerians with mostly SUBPAR football over the last few years since his appointment as SF coach, there’s NO magic that the proposed 10-12 day Abuja camp would have done for the team.

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Papafem 2 days ago
Okobi is feeling bitter. You can sense it from her statement. It’s not cool. I’m really disappointed that Waldrum dropped her from the World Cup team because she’s one of our best players. But it’s bad for her to criticize Waldrum for saying that three weeks is not enough time to prepare his team for the World Cup.

I know if she had made the team, she wouldn’t speak like this. Many Super Falcons players who are going to the World Cup feel the same way as Randy. Denying these girls a chance to come together and train for at least three weeks is like telling them to fail at the World Cup. If she were a coach, would she be comfortable with the current arrangements made by the NFF?

Randy talked about players being owed. Isn’t she owed as well? He talked about the lack of preparation. Is the team getting the best preparation?

Many World Cup-bound teams have played two to three matches already. We haven’t played a single one, and we expect them to perform? It’s so pathetic. If this NFF Chairman and his team can’t handle his position with enthusiasm, why don’t they resign and let capable people run the organization?

They are always eager to hold public offices, but once they get there, they struggle to achieve anything meaningful. He lacks vision and the ability to accomplish anything significant for the country. Honestly, I’m starting to miss Pinnick.

During Pinnick’s time, the Falcons would have played against the best teams and settled into camp a long time ago. Let Okobi address her problem with the coach instead of condemning the coach for speaking out on an issue she herself knows could become a serious problem for him and the team at the WC.

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Marchisio Hassan 1 day ago
@papafem , you nailed it, I’m very irritated by that man Ibrahim that called himself NFF , he’s playing politics with what makes us happy in Nigeria, as you said I miss Amaju

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Marchisio Hassan 1 day ago
@papafem , I felt sad too about okobi because she is very good and best midfield for us , I’m just hoping for us to succeed, but?

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Chima E Samuels 2 days ago
@PapaFem shes being honest here because under Randy African countries and elite nations has made a mockery of Falcons. So for her to compare him with local coaches should speak a volume to you because we have seen how Zambia and other African local coaches has had the better of falcons coached by this university coach. What other true does Nigerians want to hear After world you’ll come back and write I dey wait na. Yes NFF is terrible but the coach is even worst!!!

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Kingsley 2 days ago
True. Our country is so corrupt in sense dat they prefer paying foreign coach who won’t still deliver a heavy amount so they can benefit from his salary. So sad I don’t even Blame Okobi I blame NFF corrupt set of ppl.

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Ola 2 days ago
Lol…you guys sure don’t watch Okobi. There was definitely something behind her exclusion from the team because she’s one of the best players in the super falcons. Moreover, how is it difficult to know that Wandy doesn’t really have it in him? He has not been convincing since he joined the team. He doesn’t have the record anyways. Just a typical NFF blind decisions.

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Chima E Samuels 2 days ago
Exactly Okobi is the top creative player of the Falcons, the problem is most of these guys typing have not watched a full match of the falcons on a consistent base that is why they just come out and write nonsense. If no be highlight many people don’t really watch full match before they make judgement.

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Oluwatosin 2 days ago
Waldrum is just not the coach for the super falcons. He has not lifted the game of the super falcons to the level it should be.

Nigerian coaches can perform better. I wonder why we get carried away by the white skin.

NFF are just giving him excuses for not performing.

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Dcardinal 2 days ago
I’m beginning to dislike this okobi of a girl, talks too much.she has been at 2 world cups, has her presence made super falcons fair any better. Let her keep wailing

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Glory 2 days ago
Very disappointing comment from Nkobi, who I have up till this moment always admired.
Trying to exonerate the most incompetent bunch of idiots in the NFF just gives her away as a very vindictive person most likely wishing the team to fail if only to make herself happy.
Yes wandrum isn’t the quality for our falcons but the incompetency she is trying to defend brought him in to be Falcons coach. So common sense should have help her know who to blame.
Nkobi in some years to come will painfully come to realise that Wandrum isn’t really the one that dropped her from the squad but some persons in the NFF.
In cases like this, you just remain silent and allow natural justice to set in and not allow those criminals hiding behind the glasshouse use you as tool to paint themselves white.

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chuks haifa 2 days ago
This girl just shot herself on the foot. Talking bad about your coach.No wahala, i will see if the next coach will invite her. She just retired herself from super falcons. Is she even better than players like onyenezide. I am so sorry for her falcons career. she should have learnt from Oparanozie that NFF does not forgive.

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Marchisio Hassan 1 day ago
Lol, but I would have love onyenezide to be included,. She’s so talented

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Olu 2 days ago
Should not have involved herself in the NFF politics……Akobi…this is too bad for you.

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dtouchbearer 2 days ago
Though she might be bitter, but she stated the obvious..Waldrum is one the the worst coach to ever tutor super falcons…One of the stupid decision of amaju and his board…There are Nigeria coaches even female coach that can do better..

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Chima E Samuels 2 days ago
A lot of us on this forum knows how Falcons has performed lately and when a player speaks out we will call her names. How will the change start if she doesn’t use her guts, huh she will not suffer if Nigeria leave her out because she has played lots of matches and still earning Spanish money on a weekly basis. Okobi is a semi player and has the right to speak out, America will not leave Meghan out of their World Cup team when she’s not injured. Okobi’s class is permanent!!!

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Ugo Iwunze 2 days ago
You peope should leave this Thread. Go and Tell Okpala to stop causing confusion for Super Eagles. The Women’s team will be fine. After all the Gap between Women’s Africa Team and Europe America and Australia is too wide. So we know what will happen there.

Okpala and Co and hell bent and destroying Super Eagles for Financial Gain after all Okpala was Keshi’s Side kick and Keshi (God continue to Rest his soul) was a big culprit of include players in SE for financial gains.

OKPALA STOP CAUSING CONFUSION FOR OUR DARLING SUPER EAGLES!!!!!!

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deo 2 days ago
_ Cry Me A River Okobi _

Hot on the heels of being unceremoniously jettisoned like a sack of hot Garri from the Super Falcons squad to grace the World Cup this summer, peevish and disappointed midfielder Ngozi Okobi is now fighting back.

In not too pleasant words against the coach that deemed her surplus to world cup requirements, Okobi has described Waldrum in terms that could be construed as milquetoast and inept.

“Randy is not a coach for the Super Falcons,” said embittered Ngozi. “He is the least coach that has been coaching the Super Falcons. Even our own local coaches they are far better than him.”

These sour-grapes attacks came after Waldrum complained about lack of adequate world cup preparations by the NFF.

“This man is just bringing in all these excuses….he’s just seeking attention for people to look at him just in case he fails..the man doesn’t understand football.” bemoaned Okobi.

Losing her world place to the likes of Jennifer Echegini and Deborah Abiodun appears to have been a bitter pill for Ngozi to swallow.

The World Cup starts without her in the team list next month.

I have always been of the view that the likes of Ordega, Ayinde and Auntie Onome Ebi are running the risk of overstaying their Super Falcons welcome.

So I am sorry to say that I didn’t shed a tear for Okobi’s exclusion. She has served Nigeria well over the years and we thank them for their service. I think it is high time for them to sail into the sunset of International Football retirement.

We now have the likes of Israel based Mercy Idoko and Esther Onyenezide who we now need to look to.

I wish the Super Falcons great success in Australia and New Zealand.

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Dr. Drey 2 days ago
Excuse me Ngozi, you are not telling us anything new.

From the day Randy’s name was mentioned in relation to the SF, some of us have always known he’s not up to scratch.

Hell if the NFF wanted to debase the SF to the level of college coaches, the likes of Mercy Akide and Patience Avre are making their name in the collegiate in the US. Not to talk of the likes of Maureen Mmadu who has coached in the Dalmallveskkan or Perpetua Nkwocha who is coaching in the Swedish female league too. Our immediate past No 1 goalie Precious Dede was even Dennerby’s assistant coach in the Indian National team. Ann Chiejinne is also active on the home front. At least these are a few that I can recall who are ACTIVELY coaching at various levels of the game

So unlike their lazy entitled male counterparts, our female ex-internationals, our dear “1999 set” are actively applying their coaching skills all over the globe. So it was nothing but utter shock when Pinnick courted this guy twice and before eventually landing him.

And from his very 1st days as a coach, I knew this one has nothing to offer us, struggling to defeat a Russian club and Uzbekistan by just 1-0 in a turkey camp despite parading the who is who in the SF. The next assignment sealed my conviction (or lack of it) about Waldrum. A loss to who…..JAMAICA, forcing a 3-3 draw against a Portuguese team that wouldn’t even make pot 3 in Europe before a completely patternless damage control approach against the USA while still succumbing to a 2-0 defeat…..that was when I lost hope in him.

Aisha buhari cup I would never want to ever remember again. Its not for the fact that the SF lost to the Banyana Banyana of SA, but the fact that if that game were to be played 10 times, the SAns would win 12 times. Trust boastful Nigerians as always…..ehn its just a friendly, when we meet them in competitive games, we will defeat them……LMAOOo. CAF later did us the honour of pairing us again in the group phase and once again, there was never a time we looked like we would win that game. Morrocco saved us the embarassment of meeting them in the final and thunder striking twice (or will it be thrice now) in the same place, in the full glare of the world. It was more honourable to lose to Morrocco on penalties with 9 women that to be rondo-ed in disgrace 3 times a row by the Banyanas.

So the less said about Randy Waldrum and his tenure as SF coach, the better.

So once again Ngozi…..you aint telling us anything new.

What new stuff you need to be telling us is why this rant after you have just been dropped from our WC sqaud…… Is it the sudden realization of missing out on $30,000 from FIFA or what. Why haven’t you given us a hint of this or shown this fire in you all this while? A certain Ashley Plumptre did not hold back in carpetting the coach for his unwise decision to play her as a left back at the WAFCON. She rebuked him IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE GAME in the full glare of the global press stating emphatically that, “….I prefer to play as a centreback….”

So once again Mrs Okeoghene, what are you not telling us…..

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Friendy Okeke 2 days ago
Nigeria isn’t ready for football business. We only prepare and wish to WIN TROPHY in touraments.

Where is the structure!

As long as the government continues to choke our sports, there’ll be no improvement. Sports business is public Enterprise.

Untill that law that empowered the government to run sports is removed, we are wasting our time. Sponsorship won’t come.

Nigeria can’t afford world class coach? What a shame! But it’s true.

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Omo9ja 2 days ago
Most of the comments I’m reading above are disheartening. Okobi and Ayinde are the engines of the Super Eagles.

Ayinde and Okobi are like Jay Jay Okocha and Papilo Kanu.

Ọnumọnu would have been dropped for Okobi. Ọnumọnu is a good player but she is not there yet. National team football is quite different to club football.

Coach Waldrum is not helping the situation. He should have considered Okobi for this world cup.

The coach should please go back and watch Nigeria vs Morocco Weman Afcon. Then, he would understand why Okobi is a reliable and dedicated player in the Super Falcons.

That said. Okobi is a specialist when it comes to distributing ball on the pitch. Okobi was the reason why Nigeria won the Wamen Afcon in Cameroon.

I think Okobi deserves some respect from us all. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!

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Maxwell ugo 1 day ago
You people are our problem enemies of progress in every thing why not allow her to say her mind and okobi she is a good player in the team best midfielder in that team and what she said is said in nothing but the truth that coach is not doing anything there he formation was bad style of football .

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Greatest 2 days ago
Waldstrum is not as good as the local coaches. I believe he is got this job because of the color of his skin

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Ako Amadi 2 days ago
Ngozi Okobi feels if she’s not going to Australia she might as well set fire to the Falcon’s camp. Her tirade is most unfortunate and unprofessional. The foreign versus local coaches debate has now moved from Eagles to Falcons,thanks to Ms Okobi Her outburst cannot be judged on its merits, on account of understadable disappointment at missing the World Cup. Beautiful player that she is, and a great favourite of many, at the AWCON In Morocco she was not her usual self,somewhat sluggish, failing to move the midfield faster, leaving the strikers stranded in the box, something that frustrates many coaches. Still, I feel she should have been picked for the World Cup.

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Maxwell 1 day ago
You are here lamenting rubbish she is our best midfielder like JJ okocha of super falcons local coaches are far better than that university coach I wonder how Nff control nigeria football they saw stain that costed for our super falcons last nations Cup but local coaches have been trending since win the tournament and they performed well everything in Nigeria is politics .

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Larry 1 day ago
The nff is using divide and rule tactics. A good coach would have known by now that Ordega has no place in the team and Okoli is more valuable to the team than Ordega.
However, Okoli should not have allowed her to be used by the nff..

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Maxwell ugo 1 day ago
You people are our problem enemies of progress in every thing why not allow her to say her mind and okobi she is a good player in the team best midfielder in that team and what she said was nothing but the truth that coach is not doing anything there his format was bad style in that team no tactics no good formation for the team .


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9jaRealist 10 hours ago
RANDY WALDRUM IS THE WORST-EVER COACH THE SUPER FALCONS HAVE EVER HAD up until now.

The team will have to virtually perform a MIRACLE to overcome how much he has set the Falcons backwards since his appointment, and to hope to begin redeem his badly tarnished reputation as a coach. I am only irritated that the NFF is now giving him a ready-made EXCUSE if the team performs poorly at the WC.

GOOD LUCK LADIES! But will be thrilled when the Waldrum chapter is finally closed. Good riddance!!