NFF Reportedly in Fresh FIFA World Cup Scandal As American Coach Makes Bold Claim
- Former Super Falcons coach Randy Waldrum has questioned the NFF over missing $960,000 FIFA World Cup preparation funds
- Waldrum claims Nigeria lacked proper training camps, analysts, and scouting despite receiving huge FIFA funding
- The fresh scandal raises fresh concerns about transparency and accountability within the NFF
Former Super Falcons head coach Randy Waldrum has thrown the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) into the spotlight with serious allegations regarding the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
This allegation comes barely weeks after Nigeria’s football body was accused of misappropriating funds meant for building a football pitch in Minna, Niger State.
Source: Getty Images
The Super Eagles also protested before the World Cup playoff finals in Morocco, demanding their bonuses from the NFF after years of neglect from the football body.
In a viral video on X (formerly Twitter), Waldrum claimed that FIFA allocated $960,000 (around N1.4 billion) to Nigeria in October 2022 to help prepare the team for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
According to Guardian NG, the American coach, despite receiving the significant sum, the NFF failed to organise a proper training camp and could not provide business-class travel for the players.
“If Nigeria got that money why didn’t we have a camp in November? We went to Japan, we played the game, and went home,” Waldrum said.
The American added that corruption in Nigeria often goes unquestioned, contrasting it with practices in the United States, where transparency in sports administration is heavily scrutinised.
Lack of support staff and scouting worries Waldrum
Waldrum also revealed that he was restricted to working with only seven staff members, despite FIFA allowing technical teams of up to 22 personnel with bonuses funded by the organization.
“I don’t even have an analyst or scout. Everything I have to do is on videos and what I can pick up online,” he said.
The former Super Falcons coach lamented that Nigeria’s technical preparation fell short of international standards.
Source: Getty Images
While other teams had scouts monitoring opponents in real-time, the Super Falcons relied solely on online footage.
Waldrum emphasised that FIFA had mechanisms to fund essential logistics, such as business-class flights, yet the NFF did not utilise these resources.
Questions about NFF’s transparency and accountability
The allegations by Waldrum have reignited debates over governance and transparency within the NFF.
The American coach's claims suggest that key funds meant to enhance Nigeria’s competitive edge were either mismanaged or unaccounted for.
Despite these challenges, Nigeria advanced to the Round of 16, only to lose to England via a penalty shootout.
This scandal could prompt further investigation by stakeholders and possibly FIFA itself, demanding answers about how the World Cup preparation funds were spent.
The situation also brings to focus the long-standing concerns about financial oversight within Nigerian football, with many calling for accountability to ensure that future national team campaigns are properly supported.
As questions mount over the missing $960,000, Nigeria’s football authorities are under pressure to respond and clarify how FIFA’s funding was utilised.
Pinnick speaks on NFF corruption scandal
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that former Vice President of Confederation of African Football (CAF), Amaju Pinnick, has openly denied the allegation of mismanagement of funds during his tenure as NFF President.
The issue started trending on social media when popular football critic, Big Bird (@C_Mobike), launched a campaign demanding transparency from the football authorities in Nigeria.
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Source: Legit.ng
