National Teams
Paris 2024 Qualifiers: Randy Waldrum doubtful for Nigeria, South Africa doubleheader
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
It appears that Randy Waldrum, the head coach of Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, may miss the crucial Paris 2024 Olympics Qualifiers against South Africa next month.
NigeriaFootball.ng has learned that Waldrum, who hails from the University of Pittsburgh, may not be available for the fourth round of qualifiers due to prior commitments with the Collegiate team.
The first leg of the final Olympics Qualifiers in Abuja is scheduled for April 5, with the return leg in Pretoria set for April 9, 2024.
However, Waldrum’s University of Pittsburgh team has a PA Classic match against Lafayette on April 6, just a day after the first leg against South Africa. Furthermore, they are slated to face West Virginia on April 13, adding to his schedule conflicts.
This clash of commitments casts doubt on Waldrum’s ability to lead the nine-time African champions against the reigning African champions, Banyana Banyana.
This isn’t the first time Waldrum has been unavailable for national team duties. During the two-legged clash with Ethiopia immediately after the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, his assistant, Justine Madugu, took charge of the team.
It’s worth noting that Waldrum’s previous contract clause designates him as a part-time coach of the Super Falcons while serving as a full-time manager of the University of Pittsburgh in the United States of America (USA).
Meanwhile, Desiree Ellis has unveiled her provisional squad for the clash, and tickets are already on sale for the return leg in South Africa.
However, with less than two weeks remaining until the first leg, neither Waldrum nor the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has released the roster for the upcoming games.
It’s a critical juncture for Waldrum, especially considering his team’s history against South Africa, having suffered a 4-2 defeat at the 2021 Aisha Buhari Cup and a 2-1 loss in the group stage of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.