Ex-players warn Falcons ahead of Olympics qualifier

Former Super Falcons captains Desire Oparanozie, Patience Avre, and Kikelomo Ajayi have issued a stark warning: Nigeria can no longer afford to rest on its past achievements. As the Super Falcons gear up for their 2028 Women's Olympic qualifying campaign in October under a new technical crew, the shadow of their historic failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup looms large.

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We have not lost our glory, but it is a warning that the rest of Africa has caught up and become much more competitive. That is actually good for African women’s football, but it also means Nigeria must raise its standards.

Nigeria's unparalleled record of appearing in every Women's World Cup since its inception in 1991 was broken after the team suffered its earliest-ever exit at the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. A 1-0 quarter-final loss to Cameroon denied them automatic qualification, and a subsequent 2-1 defeat to South Africa in the CAF play-off sealed their fate. In response, the Nigeria Football Federation dismissed the technical crew led by coach Justine Madugu, along with other staff members.

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The Super Falcons have the talent, experience and pedigree to compete with the best. Now, we must forget the past. What we need now is a renewed football culture around the women’s national team, better planning, continuity, preparation, investment and accountability.

Ajayi, who captained the Super Falcons through multiple major tournaments, stressed that while Nigeria's glory is not lost, it serves as a warning that other African nations have significantly improved. "The rest of Africa has caught up and become much more competitive. That is actually good for African women’s football, but it also means Nigeria must raise its standards," she told The Punch. She emphasized the need for a "renewed football culture" with better planning, continuity, preparation, investment, and accountability, urging the team to "stop looking backwards and start building forward."

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We must respect every opponent, but we should never lose confidence in ourselves. The important thing now is to stop looking backwards and start building forward. The glory days should not simply be remembered; we should create a new era of glory.

Oparanozie, a member of the NFF's fact-finding committee investigating the national teams' poor performance, called for a comprehensive rebuild. "No more survival on raw talent and past glory alone," she stated, highlighting the "lack of institutional structure." Avre, a four-time African champion, echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the need for a fresh start that evaluates every aspect of the team's operations. A new technical crew is expected to be in place before the Falcons resume their Olympic qualifiers against Comoros.

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No more survival on raw talent and past glory alone. As painful as this moment is, we are more pained by the lack of institutional structure. We need a fresh start; a start that evaluates everything.