Allegations have emerged regarding a potential internal conflict within the Super Falcons involving two high-ranking officials of the Nigeria Football Federation attempting to exert influence in the selection of veteran forward Francisca Ordega for the women's football competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
As per the Punch, the situation suggests a rift within the team, with concerns raised about the player's inclusion based on her connections to the officials rather than recent performance merit.
This development has caused apprehension among younger team members who are wary of being overlooked in favour of an older player.
Efforts to maintain anonymity in discussing this sensitive issue have been made by a federation official.
The source revealed that individuals from the competitions and technical departments are advocating for the inclusion of Ordega in the Olympic roster, despite opposition from a faction of players who were dissatisfied with her inclusion in the previous Women's World Cup team.
The source mentioned that these officials are pressuring the team's coach, Waldrum, to select Ordega for the upcoming trip to Paris.
Within the regulations set by the tournament organizers, an allowance for an additional four alternate players to the standard 18-player squad has been granted.
It has come to light that various teams such as Australia (22 players), Japan (21 players), and USA (21 players) have capitalized on this provision by expanding their squads.
However, it has been revealed that Waldrum, under the directive of high-ranking officials from the federation, refrained from augmenting his squad with the extra four players.
Sources indicate that the officials cited financial constraints within the federation as the reason for this decision, stating an inability to accommodate additional players for the Paris trip.
Despite this, aimed at ensuring Ordega's inclusion in the team, the officials apparently reversed their stance and submitted a list of alternate players to the organizers featuring Ordega's name without the knowledge of Waldrum.
It has been suggested that this move was orchestrated to prompt Waldrum to remove a player from the original 18-player roster, a decision that the officials seem eager to see enforced.
Reportedly, Waldrum had insisted on including a home-based goalkeeper in the alternate list to account for any issues with the two keepers in the 18-woman list.
However, Morufat Ademola, the Rivers Angels goalkeeper who was Waldrum's top choice, was eventually excluded.
Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, the General Secretary of the federation, stated during a telephone conversation on Saturday that he could not comment on the matter, explaining that he is not a coach.
The Falcons are placed in a challenging Group C alongside world champions Spain, former world champions Japan, and South American champions Brazil at the Paris Games.
Their first match is scheduled for July 25 against Brazil in Bordeaux.