Paris 2024 Olympic: Randy Waldrum applauds Nigeria’s resilience

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

After leading Nigeria’s senior women’s national team to the Paris 2024 Olympics, Randy Waldrum is proud of the Super Falcons.

Returning to the women’s football tournament of the Olympics for the first time since 2008, the nine-time African champions couldn’t hope their own against the best in the world.

1-0 losses to South American powerhouse and world champions Spain were followed by a 3-1 defeat to 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup winners, Japan, which ended their sojourn at the group stage.

“Our players are extremely talented,” he told ESPN. “That’s always been the history of Nigeria, it has extremely talented players. And I think this one could be a special group. We’ve shown our quality against some of the best teams in the world.”

“I’m excited about the young players but I do like the core of our team. I guess the one thing I said after the World Cup, and I would continue to say it now publicly, is if we invest in this team, as a federation and a country, this team would have a chance to be one of the best in the world.” He added.

The coach’s desire to bring a more American-style organization to the team has been hindered by issues like staggered travel arrangements, visa troubles, lack of advanced scheduling, and payment problems.

These challenges have affected the team’s preparation and performance, making it difficult for them to reach their full potential.

“One of the things I hoped I could do when I came to Nigeria as a coach is to bring some experiences of the way we do things in the US, with our organization, and with our preparation, but for whatever reason, we still battle some of the same issues.” He lamented.

Waldrum’s passion for the team and his desire to stay on beyond his current contract are evident.

He hopes to inject new blood into the team and take them beyond the next WAFCON.

However, he acknowledges that the decision ultimately lies with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

“I would like to [stay on],” He said. “I love the team. I love the direction that we’re headed. After a rough start here, I think we’re headed in a good direction.

“There’s a lot of upcoming talent as we start to move some of the older players out after the Olympics and bring some young talent in. I think we can accomplish great things at the next level.

“That’s more of a question for the Federation. I don’t know if they want me to or not, but I hope they at least appreciate the fact that we had the showing that we did at the World Cup and that we have qualified them for the Olympics.

“And I hope they see that we’re doing some good things but that’ll be a decision that’s up to them. I’m just thankful that we got through all the rough times and appreciate the belief the NFF has shown in me to keep me on and allow me to do my work. But I certainly would entertain staying on beyond.” He concluded.

Waldrum has not been able to win any silverware with the team since taking charge for over five years.

A fourth-placed finish at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco set the pace for Round of 16 placement at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.