Former Nigerian goalkeeper, Andrew Aikhoumogbe has warned that the Super Falcons Will struggle at the 2023 Women’s World Cup if Randy Waldrum failed to extend invitation to Desire Oparanozie.
He made this known on the backdrop of the team’s inability to defend their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title in Morocco, where the Super Falcons finished fourth at the tournament.
Aikhoumogbe in a chat with Completesports.com, noted that the absence of Oparanozie was obvious in the team as they struggled for goals despite creating goal scoring chances.
“The current Super Falcons squad lack something that is very obvious for everyone of us to see, that is the attack. They created goal scoring chances but due to the fact that the team lacked a real goal scorer in Oparanozie, they failed to convert it.
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“I am confident that Oparanozie would have done a great job at the just concluded Women’s Africa Cup of Nations if she was invited. Her experience would have propel the team beyond what they achieve at the tournament.
“I will urge the Nigeria Football Federation and the Super Falcons coach, Waldrum to invite her for the Women’s World Cup if Nigeria must make an appreciable impact in Australia and New Zealand.”
Recall that Oparanozie was in February 2021 dropped from the list of players for the friendly tournament in Turkey despite her sterling performances for Dijon in the French league.
Oparanozie exclusion raised eyebrows, with some fans insisting she was sidelined following her part in protests against unpaid bonuses at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, and not for football reasons.
49 Comments
I support the suggestion. The current attackers in the team are not clinical finishers like desire.
I wonder if they are playing American football with the way they keep ballooning the ball over the bar when they are face to face with the opposing goalie.
Poor finishing cost the team and if desire is the solution to the problem then bring her back instead of using players who are not mature enough to handle the pressure of playing at that level.
I personally in support please you have to invite her we are pleading
The Falcons wasted many scoring chances at the Wafcon and it was obvious they lacked a natural goal poacher especially with the absence of Asisat Oshoala as well. Rashidat Ajibade plays better as a Midfielder or a support Striker. If a goal Poacher had been available with the Falcons’ gallant display after two players were sent out against Morocco in the Semis, we would have beaten Morocco silly in the first half before our players were sent out or better still in extra time … Please, let us do the needful before the World Cup …
Correct analysis Aikhoumogbe,our attack was blunt.I’m not a fan of Onumonu.She hasn’t got it in her to lead our attack,i said it consistently while the awcon is ongoing you can’t win a tournament with a striker like Onumonu leading the line,no way i do not see that happening.
Meanwhile,it’s good to allow the coaching crew to carry on with their job for continuity.I believe adjustements will be made to correct grey areas found in the team at the just concluded women’s nations cup.
The world cup will give us a better assessment of whether the team has improved post Awcon or worsen.This will define the fate of the coaching crew not before.
However,it’s always good to allow coaches time on their job,i believe the longer they stayed the better for the team,hopefully we have a much improved falcons in the world cup and beyond with lessons learnt to stay disciplined while on the pitch which is also very important.
Well i shall use this opportunity to congratulate South Africa they are worthy champions,won’t be for long though because the falcons are wounded!
Oparnozie or what they call her, no hate, can we please move on from the old guards and start planning for the future? Onumonu gat it, and she will deliver, let’s stop all these recalling old legs that were good, and now is the future. Please get Wbi out and get some young lads in, let’s start preparing for the future.
How old is desire,I think she is just 28years of age still in her peak year .we need her to spark the attack for us I beg.
What old guard? Do you watch her club performances at all? It’s a shame when we celebrate mediocrity and comfort ourselves with the famous words”they tried”, oparanozie is the best striker in the falcons team at the moment and even oshoala will attest to that, but then,you are entitled to your own opinion, nff has always politicized selection of players and amaju pinnick should honorably resign as he has been a failure at his job..
Hmm? Opa wetin? una too talk, African awards just ended, how come she did not win anything even if na the best throw-in.Oparanozie have been a part of the team and she is talented no doubt but her best days are over, The Super Falcons has too many old players right now, so even if you line them up against Oshodi bus stop selected they won’t fly. The time to go back to school soccer is now otherwise the embarrassment will soon be unbearable
Onumonu is an old guard as well, she’s 2 years old already and for a woman of her age, she can be regarded as an old guard, so making a case for her, you should do and for the rest too.. Btw, she doesn’t deserve to be on that team, check her club records, plus she is over 25 years and can’t get better than that at football, we need hungry and passionate ladies on that team
This senior national team and not age grade, if 90 year old woman is still got all it takes to be in the team so be it. We should not discard our best players all in the name of old legs. Onumonu didn’t leave up to expectations and having and experience person that can do the job better is not a bad idea
It seems like most of us don’t know why Okparanozie was excluded from the team. Okparanozie was the original captain of the team. She was excluded from the team because she led the protest against their unpaid allowances. The protest is also partly responsible for the removal of Florence Omagbemi as the coach of the team.
The NFF attitude is nothing short of withholding food from a baby and at the same time beating the baby for daring to crying.
The NFF ostracized Okparanozie from the team without making provision for capable replacement and removed a successful coach only to go to USA and hire a polytechnic or university football team coach (that is what a college coach means in USA) for the super falcons. The NFF attitude is a very big embarrassment. Will the NFF ever for once imagine it that they want to hire a Nigerian university or polytechnic coach for the super falcons?
If anybody deserved to be sacked, it is Pinnick and Waldrum. Waldrum because he is not even better than our own local coaches and very biased.
I meant get Ebi out.
The coach has to excuse us please. Ex-internationals (our top players who are now into coaching) are better here. I don’t even like males coaching female teams. Thanks @Presh for your comment. We do not need these old ladies again for recycling. Time to plan for the future with younger and energetic players world cup or no world cup. In fact, time for U-20 girls to step into the shoes of the falcons immediately after the U-20 female world cup next month
When will you guys stop blaming the coach and face the actual reasos.
My surprise is that non of you commenting is stating the actual reason. Yes NFF is to be blamed and not the coach or players.
How can a team who protested for pay and bonuses perform well?
How many teams in that tournament went on strike because bonuses and allowances owed previously?
What are the bonuses payed to other big teams like South Africa and Morroco and how much is it compared to that of super falcons?
This is how guys pushed Rohr away because you scared of speaking the truth or to even face it. In the whole Africa Nigeria have the worst FA and the most corrupt one. Is either the super eagles striking for money or super falcons going on a protest in tournaments. Are we not tired disgracing ourselves? All these bad vibes distract a team.
Is hypocritical to blame the coach when the truth is staring at us. I refuse to join that stupid wagon.
Oga stop copying and pasting your comments from other headlines. For your information, no player plays for the meagre match winning bonuses paid to them rather they play to announce themselves and their future so that big clubs come scampering for their signature hence the match bonus saga is among the least of what led to their dismal outing in the opening game and against Zambia. They just were very average, lacking in pace with lacklustre shooting. The statistics of shots on target will shed more light on this. The only match that looked extraordinary would be the match against Morocco where playing with 2 players down , they were able to force the match into extra time and penalties. Even at that, they were thoroughly overrun, expectedly though. We need a clean break from this and build our team around younger, hungrier and energetic players and not just the mouthed experience!
I salute the spirit of women in the just concluded wafcon. But reasons for not being able to win this time around is that of NFF, these ladies were not paid their match bonuses while the president was fly around in private jet. Is he too big to go on commercial flights, wasting money supposed to pay these ladies. Then, our ladies are getting old, SA coach said it that we are recycling old players and that is the truth. For how long are we going to depend on these players. What tactics has Waldrum impacted on this team. What has done that our former players cannot do. We are a nation that likes wasting money.
That’s true
Thanks. Your spot on.
Yes I support the idea of introducing this young energetic under 20 players with fresh blood running in their veins, look at South Africa, Botswana, Burundi, Zambia etc with your players, and they perform well. Secondly, I don’t see anything good with Waldrum being the falcons Coach, he can’t be successful coaching another club with our national team, please NFF should go for the likes of Uche Eucharia or Florence Omagbemi back to the team
Exactly. That Eucharia will do a great job. I missed the strick partnership of Oparanozie and Ebere Orji. Those 2 understands themselves
The question is must NFF disgrace themselves all the time?
Must they syphon the money meant for the team?
Must they be the only country to be oweing match bonuses for months even running to years. I fear for this country because of your types, if you become the NFF head you will do worst.
As you claim the their pay isn’t important and only play to be known, then why have they been protesting and striking time without number?
A team that was 2 man down and held their head up, dragging the match to a penalty shot out can’t be called average. They still rank among the strongest team in that tournament. All we need is a change of corrupt mindset in the NFF. If only your kinds will support that, because it seems you stand for the negative vibes that players should be treated badly by your NFF.
Sometimes it baffles me how Nigerians who will never work for free or be happy being owed salaries even up to 2 month will be clamouring for these to play for free.
Thanks You. Well said.
I tire oo my brother
Oga, nobody said they should not be paid their match bonuses, but what I tried to let you know is that it is/was not the major motivation playing for the country. To even wear that jersey is a privilege and adds to their market value. Ask players who are no longer playing for their national teams to what extent news carry their stories. The team was very average with tired legs, period!
Do you guys even realised that Oparanozie was invited for the wafcon 2022 but could not travel out of China due to covid restriction. Herself and one other player(can’t remember the name now) were invited but both missed out due to restriction from the Chinese government. That was what let to Okobi Ngozi and another player to be invited as late replacement.
So Oparanozie was part of the initial invited players
This is not true, I talk to oparanozie as she grants her followers communication, even if she won’t admit what was done to her, she was dropped by nff and wasn’t invited,
Someone tell me, what our number 9 Onumonu did to deserve being on that team? I checked out her club profile and was not impressed, even the coach has never coached an established national team in football, rather he coaches universities in the USA, what happened to our local coaches who have won 9 nation cups for us or our local female league players who are always Hungry for victory? Rather, they force some foreign amateurs on the team in order to get them good clubs abroad.. Corruption will keep bedeviling our football if nothing changes..
@scenario
https://www.completesports.com/2022-wafcon-falcons-coach-waldrum-invites-32-players-for-two-week-camp-in-morocco/
That is the initial list of 32 players invited for wafcon with Oparanozie name on the list and the other is Chinwendu Ihezuo.
As you can see Okobi’s name was not in the initial list but was a late call up for Ihezuo.
You can also check the super falcons Twitter handle and you will see all there. So it will be nice for you to show us proof of your own communication with Oparanozie that says she was not invited.
Please stop peddling rumours around if you are not sure.
In as much as we all know nff is filled with clueless buffoons including Amaju, Shehu, Fresh et al, we still need to say the reality here on invitations to the last wafcon.
As I have written earlier on this platform, removing Flo Omagbemi by Amaju was a big mistake as the SF has not improved since then.
Thanks for clearification, please let them try to invite her now that at least COVID-19 has come to minimal,let coach organize his team so that we will be able to go far in our world cup.
The NFF is the problem of our football in Nigeria. It is NFF corrupt practice that led to appointment of a university coach to be our national team coach. It is NFF corruption that led to dropping of the previous local coach and formal player who achieved success with the team. It is NFF corruption that made them to our the players their money and also punish them for protesting.
We can’t win a tournament with Onumonu. Hehehehe! Chai!
But we can qualify for the world cup with an Onumonu assist.
In my opinion, Onumonu should not be a guaranteed starter. NO ONE in the team should be guaranteed a starting jersey. However, a deep squad is what wins tournaments.
Onumonu may not be a good fit for a particular match, but she may be the saviour in the next match. That’s football.
If the coaches decide to keep her in the squad, I have no issues with that whatsoever.
Nothing wrong with having Oparanozie and Onumonu in the squad together. That gives the team MORE OPTIONS.
The way some people here bad mouth Onumonu, you would think she is completely useless on the pitch!
These people simply can’t see anything good about this lady. Yes, her contributions to the team have been modest, but they are contributions nonetheless! This lady’s assist is the reason we qualified DIRECTLY for the world cup, avoiding the long, uncertain route of play-offs that Cameroon now has to take. And her stats for Nigeria are not bad. This lady has obtained us some vital goals and assists. The only forward that has produced more goals and assists than Onumonu is Ajibade. Yet, that means nothing to some of us.
Onumonu, Onumonu, Onumonu, as if Onumonu is owing them money.
It boggles the mind!!!
What boggles to the mind is your insistence on spicy peanuts without adding guguru.
Hehehe, but wait ooo. That’s a mismatch. Guguru will not go well with spicy peanuts.
Oga jones abeg no just dey sell my peanuts anyhow, i get patent label on it. Go get yours biko
Hahaha. One love brother.
I’m referring to goals and assists produced at the AFCON. Ajibade is the only forward with superior stats to Onumonu. And they both combined for the goal that landed us the world cup ticket.
@pompei, Onumonu and Waldrum na mismatch for super falcons. Get a good coach and he or she will find a way to play to the strength of Onumonu. But with Waldrum there as the coach Nigerians will continue to be disappointed with her performance
Josh men! I am not a huge fan of women’s football but that American coach no too sabi.
Josh, as per Onumonu, I am ADAMANT that she is not useless. No! I refuse to accept that argument!
Give her the support structures she needs, and she will deliver. Leaving her on her own upfront against multiple center backs is not her game.
As for Waldrum, what is the guarantee that this our NFF will not land us from the frying pan straight into the fire by hiring a new coach that is even worse?
If they can’t get us a quality, proven coach, we better let sleeping dogs lie!
Remember the bitter lesson OUR OWN taught us!
I tire o my brother. Are those commenting blind to realize that she was the only player upfront. Seldomly getting the needed support she needs. Even for men its not easy playing has a lone striker. Please give her a break. She got us to the world cup just like you stated. Leave the coach alone and let him correct his mistakes. He’s just being there for a year. Focus on the NFF to open there books or petition EFCC to know why funds are not always available for tournaments.
Weda I like it or not,as far as dat team is concerned,it must be a mix of old and young players.u cant jst trust d young players d opportunity represent in tounaments.d old guards must b there odawise u’ll commit an unforgivable blunder.And for d ex-SA player who claims d S.falcons are too old,aw many taunaments av they won with dia young team?.if person body strength nor let u get long playing carrier,u nor go quiet and let ppl wey e let do enjoy dia carrier?
Nigerian football problem = NFF+Low Cost Coaches=Spectacular Failure in that order.
My brother, it’s a big problem!
If replacing Waldrum is the next step, so be it. But we better beware!
Make OUR OWN things no shele for area.
Removing Waldrum should be done as quick as possible, we still have 11 months and 3 weeks to the next world cup.
But Amaju being a fraud as his associates will not do it.
Hopefully an election will be held this September and he can be removed
the NNF wnat to use the graas roots method of America that as produce many world champions reason why they went after Waldrum which was a wrong choice NNF should have taking there time to select the coach that the college football team was the best at the grass root and with proven prowess for producing good college football teams .Anyway the error can be corrected by changing Waldrum now for its clean clear that he not good technically and tactically reason why i was sure the game is lost after zambia goal against us,and exactly that was what played out. Also NNF should as a command veto the inclusion of exceptionally talented players that am sure sure will be discovered among the U20 and U17 teams as they participate in this year 2022 U20&U17 world cups.
Another thing am aware of is Oparanozie and some players are not in good terms this bad bvlood caused us OLympic participation last year and the coach then did not handle it well and at the end NNF need to do what they did and sacked coach Denebi to stem the tide of cold blood among the senior players. thank God this decision revamp the team with the coming of Waldrum else those Ivorians or Ghanians ladies would have stopped us from qualifying for the WAFCON. However the game against SA,MOrroco and Zambia exposes Waldrum ineptitude expecially when is not going as planned.A stitch in time safe nine.
The world cup is not a stage for inexperienced players. You always want to go there with your best players. Though we need to start introducing some young central defenders and midfielders but we should not forget one thing that all the countries that won medals has over us is quickness. They choked us to beat us.
The world cup is not a stage for inexperienced players. You always want to god there with your best players. Though we need to start introducing some young central defenders and midfielders but we should not forget one thing that all the countries that won medals has over us is quickness. They choked us to beat us.
Pls I think only opara anozie an oshola can remain in that team. But for onome ebi no no no she can quit pls because she s aged, an if u take that type of lady to world cup we are finish, again that coach should go, because he lack something the former coach onagbimi have very well, pls Nigeria should go for a local coach, because with local coach we have been doing well,all this nonsense start immediately this man take over the them. Even the cup won in 208 is by luck, even to win a single match s hard for em that s the sign that this wadran s bad he fail. Pls Nigeria should think twice