NFF sacks Super Falcons technical crew after World Cup failure

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has terminated the contracts of the Super Falcons' technical crew with immediate effect. This decision comes after the team's inability to secure a spot in the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup, following a crucial playoff defeat to South Africa.

The directive was issued in a brief statement on Monday, just four days after the Falcons suffered a 2-1 loss to South Africa in a WAFCON playoff match held in Morocco. This defeat ended Nigeria's remarkable record of qualifying for every edition of the Women's World Cup since the tournament's inception in 1991.

Prior to the NFF's announcement, head coach Justine Madugu had issued an apology to Nigerians, accepting responsibility for the disappointing outcome. "I have to apologize to Nigerians over our inability to make it to the World Cup. We are very sorry. It was not our intention," Madugu stated. "We came, did the best that we could, but our best was not good enough."

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I have to apologize to Nigerians over our inability to make it to the World Cup. We are very sorry. It was not our intention. We came, did the best that we could, but our best was not good enough.

Nigeria's path to the World Cup was already precarious after a 1-0 loss to Cameroon in the WAFCON quarter-finals. In the playoff against South Africa, missed chances and defensive errors proved costly. Thembi Kgatlana scored the opener in the 56th minute, and Refiloe Jane doubled the lead 21 minutes later. Although Christy Ucheibe converted a penalty in stoppage time after a VAR review, the Falcons could not find an equalizer as South Africa advanced. Madugu acknowledged that the team's inability to convert scoring opportunities was a significant factor in their failure.

In addition to the technical crew's dismissal, the NFF has established a six-member Fact-finding Committee. This committee is tasked with investigating the recent subpar performances of Nigeria's national teams, with a specific focus on the Super Falcons' World Cup qualification failure. NFF President Ibrahim Gusau has charged the committee to identify the root causes of these setbacks and recommend appropriate solutions. The committee, chaired by former NFF General Secretary Fanny Amun, has two weeks to submit its report.

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We had chances. Still, the conversion was another problem. And, uh, we made some little errors at the back. They capitalised on that, and, uh, they got the goals that they also got.