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‘Results will decide Waldrum’s decision to stick with home-based players’ – Bankole Olowookere
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
The head coach of Nigeria’s national U-17 girls, Bankole Olowookere has backed the decision of Super Falcons coach not to include home based players for this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Randy Waldrum invited 22 foreign based players and an un-attached player in captain Onome Ebi for the World Cup which to Nigerian league enthusiasts unfair on home players.
The coach of Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Premiership side, Naija Ratels believes it’s the coach’s philosophy to stick with foreign-based players asserting that results at the World Cup will determine whether he has taken a good decision or not.
“This is about the individual and one’s philosophy. That’s the coaching philosophy,” Bankole Olowookere told journalists during the just concluded NWFL Championship in Ikenne, Ogun State.
“Maybe he didn’t have much trust in the home-based players. Going to the World Cup, the coach might be thinking that the players they are up to the standard of the World Cup.”
Olowookere who guided the Flamingos to a third placed finish at last year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup opined that Waldrum can’t downgrade the NWFL for no reason stating that there must have been a reason for his decision.
“He wouldn’t for no reason downgrade the league in Nigeria,” he added. “That’s what the coach wants as his philosophy which is different from my philosophy.
“If it had been me, I would have pitched my tent with my home-based players because I am a typical Nigerian. That is what the coach based his philosophy on and where he thinks he can get his results from.
“We can’t fault him as that’s his strategy and plan. Let’s just accept him. The result will show if he has done the right thing or not.”
Waldrum and the Super Falcons will open the 2023 Women’s World Cup campaign against Olympic champions, Canada on Friday.
