By Bethel Kalu
Nigerians eagerly awaited Randy Waldrum’s list of the 23 Women to the World Cup. As with every tournament team, there would be surprises and Super Falcons fans knew this well. However, many never imagined that Ngozi Okobi, one of Africa’s finest midfielders would be omitted from the squad, for reasons best known to Waldrum.
This omission led to uproar from Nigerians at home and abroad. It seemed inconceivable that such would happen, that a midfielder who played a huge role in the country’s qualification to the World Cup would be dropped from the squad. In the midst of the arguments, for and against, neither Waldrum nor the NFF gave reasons for the exclusion. Even Ngozi Okobi had to go on live on Instagram to speak about it.
Does it worth the uproar? Absolutely it does. Since she made her debut for the Falcons in 2010, the midfielder has established herself as one of Africa’s most talented footballers. She is easily the best ball passer in the team and the most visionary.
Ngozi has endeared herself to fans with her dexterity and unmatched vision. Her exploits at the 2014 WAFCON final, her performance at the 2016 WAFCON final and her world-class performance in the thrilling 3-3 draw against Sweden at the 2015 World Cup is a testimony to what she can do with the ball. She announced herself to the world at the 2010 U17 World Cup where she shone like a galaxy and she played for the Falcons when she was about 17 and won the WAFCON as a 17 year old. Little wonder she is called “samba.”
Randy Waldrum has never had faith in her, for whatever reasons but there is one performance that even Randy himself should never forget. Okobi produced a stunning performance in the quaterfinal game against Cameroon, playing a vital role in the buildup to the goal that sent the team to the World Cup. A journalist described that goal this way: “Huge credit to Ngozi Okobi for weaving that piece of magic.” Later that evening, Okobi was trending on Twitter, Facebook and across various social media platforms and that is how good she is.
As the tension began to diffuse, Randy Waldrum, in a rather tactless manner, accused the NFF of interference and the NFF could not take it. The Federation, through Mr Olajire, its Director of Communications, wondered why Waldrum would drop Ngozi Okobi and Regina Otu, when he knew that Halimatu Ayinde would not be available for the opening game against Canada. Somehow, Ngozi Okobi came back to the picture.
This was the NFF, admitting that the omission of the star midfielder was a costly mistake and a dent on Waldrum’s competence. There are questions begging for answers: Why would the NFF allow the coach’s obvious mistake to stand? Did the contract granting Waldrum freedom to choose his team means he will do so without supervision? Does Waldrum think that the men in the NFF are dummies who would not ask him questions or make suggestions? What is the role of the Technical Department if they allow the national team coach to make a grave mistake, citing his contract? Is Randy Waldrum’s bias bigger than national interest? Contracts should be respected but to whose detriment? Can this freedom be given to a local coach?
At this point, she should relax, live her life and move on. The Super Falcons was, before she arrived and will be, after her. Her quality is not in doubt and she can still play in the team’s other games apart from the World Cup. There is the Olympic and WAFCON qualifiers. She needs to take a break from discussing the team with anyone for now and focus on other exciting moments in her life.
For NFF and Waldrum, the less they talk about each other, the better. They have a World Cup to attend and feud between them is not ideal, not at this point. The team are faced with a herculean task at the World Cup and all hands must be on deck. They may disagree but professionalism is key.
The Ngozi Okobi debate is not yet over among fans and analysts and it will become bigger at the World Cup.
For now, Ngozi Okobi, Waldrum and the NFF should move on, focus and let the team “breathe.”