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Why NFF dropped Lauren Gregg from Nigeria’s Women’s World Cup staff – Ademola Olajire
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has provided an explanation to the decision for leaving out Lauren Gregg from the country’s technical staff for the Women’s World Cup to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
On Thursday, Super Falcons manager Randy Waldrum alleged that NFF dropped his assistant from his technical team due to his rejection of including an home based goalkeeper for the 32-nation competition this summer.
“The decision is for me to either take Lauren Gregg or the Nigerian based goalkeeper to the Women’s World Cup,” Waldrum said on Sounding Off on Soccer podcast.
“It is really not the right path to follow ahead of the World Cup. The only think that kept me going is the players. I am not going to the World Cup with Gregg, my right hand coach and an experienced one that has won the World Cup with the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT).
“It was like a betrayal on my part o her that I will be going to the tournament without her. She was disappointed and devastated from our last conversation. I have got issues with the Federation but had to just keep going for the players sake.”
However, the nation’s football body countered Waldrum’s claims, while explaining that the development was done in good faith and largely due to health reason.
“The NFF literally dodged a bullet with his assistant at the WAFCON in Morocco because of the woman’s failing health. Everyone was scared stiff,” NFF spokesman Ademola Olajire told NigeriaFootball.ng.
Nigeria’s first match of the finals in Australia is against Canada, at Melbourne’s Rectangular Stadium, on Friday, 21 July, before clashes with co-host nation Australia and Republic of Ireland on Thursday, 27 July, and Monday, 31 July respectively, at the Lang Park in Brisbane.
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