Following a 0-0 draw against South Africa, which secured Nigeria’s qualification for the Olympics after a 1-0 victory in the first leg, Coach Randy Waldrum shared his thoughts and emotions.
Waldrum began by addressing the media’s role in the team’s journey. He expressed his gratitude for the support they’ve received, while also acknowledging the skepticism from some quarters.
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“We have one male journalist back in Nigeria that seems to want to derail what we have done and have doubted what we can do.
I think that journalist knows who I’m talking about. And so very happy we can prove him wrong,” he said.
He went on to appreciate the media that has been supportive of the team’s efforts over the past year.
The coach then turned his attention to the preparations for the Olympics. He made a plea to the Minister of Sport and the Federation for proper preparation, including a training camp in Europe, proper training, and transportation.
“We need to do things right because these women deserve this opportunity to go represent our country of Nigeria in the best possible way,” he stated.
Waldrum acknowledged the tough competition they will face at the Olympics, referring to their group as the “group of death”.
Despite this, he expressed confidence in his team’s defensive abilities, citing their record of clean sheets in recent games.
“I think this is our seventh or eighth clean sheet in our last eight or nine games. And I think Australia is the only team that scored twice on us,” he said.
He also spoke about the team’s offensive potential, acknowledging the need for improvement and the importance of preparation time.
“With some proper work, we’ll even get better with things on the offensive side, which I know everybody’s asking for. But we need some time to prepare and get our players together,” he added.
Finally, Waldrum expressed his excitement and gratitude for the opportunity to represent Nigeria at the Olympics, a feat that hasn’t been achieved in 16 years.
“I know how much it means to the fans of Nigeria, to the NFF, to all the people of Nigeria. So for them, I’m very thankful and very happy,” he concluded.
