Waldrum Queries NFF on Alleged Missing N1.4bn World Cup Preparation Money

Former Super Falcons head coach Randy Waldrum has again questioned the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over the alleged mismanagement of FIFA funds earmarked for the team’s 2023 Women’s World Cup preparations.

In a resurfaced video circulating on X, Waldrum claimed the NFF received $960,000 — about N1.4 billion — from FIFA in October 2022 to support the team’s build-up to the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. He insisted the squad’s World Cup campaign, which ended in the Round of 16 after a narrow penalty loss to England, was undermined by poor planning and a lack of basic resources.

He said a trusted contact “very connected with some of the board at FIFA” told him that “every country was given $960k… where is that money.”

Waldrum criticised the NFF for failing to organise proper camps, recalling their chaotic trip to Japan, where players arrived hours before kickoff. “Some of our players didn’t arrive until the morning before the game… five players who were going to start for me arrived the night before,” he said, adding that the remaining days of the FIFA window were “wasted.”

He also argued that the NFF had no excuse regarding travel logistics, saying FIFA funds business-class tickets for federations that can’t afford them and deducts the cost later. “So there’s no excuse to say we didn’t have money to buy tickets,” he said.

Waldrum further faulted the federation for travelling with only about eleven technical staff members despite FIFA approving up to 22. “I don't have an analyst and I scout… We don’t even have scouts going with us to Australia,” he lamented.

Meanwhile, the NFF is racing to secure an international friendly for the Super Falcons ahead of their 2026 WAFCON qualifiers, which also double as a pathway to the next Women’s World Cup.