The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) is blaming the Super Falcons' 2-0 defeat to DPR Korea in Friday's second group match in the ongoing women's World Cup on poor team selection by coach Effiom Ntiero.
But the players and their handlers are pointing accusing fingers at the NFA for allegedly starving them of funds in the championship.
However, DPR Korean coach Kim Kwang Min revealed that he used the Falcons' strategies in their game against Sweden to perfect his team's win in Friday's game.
The loss puts a big question mark on Nigeria's chances of advancing to the next stage of the championship.
An official of the NFA said at the Chengdu Stadium in China on Friday that Ntiero's team selection in the first half of the match was responsible for the defeat, Lagos-based newspaper the Guardian reported Saturday.
"The coach got it all wrong with his team selection for today's game. What happened to players like Maureen Madu or Yinka Kudaisi? How come the coach couldn't change Ifeanyi Chiejine, who was playing like an injured person? A lot is happening in this team and the coach has to explain certain things later," the NFA official said.
But players and officials of the team were quick to point out that the Sani Lulu-led board of the NFA should be blamed for the defeat. Those who spoke shortly after the defeat said the team was deliberately being starved of funds by the NFA.
According to the girls, Lulu allegedly gave a directive to the leader of Nigerian delegation to the championship, Sanusi Mohammed, that the players be paid 400 dollars instead of the initial 750 dollars for the draw against Sweden, an offer which the players rejected.
"When Sanusi reported the matter to the chairman, the next thing he did was to pass a directive that the amount be reduced to $400. As we speak now, the girls have not received a dime for the draw against Sweden. And to make matters worse, the $75 daily camp allowance promised the girls is not being paid to them. The NFA is still insisting on paying $30. This is a World Cup for goodness sake. The players should not be treated like this. The NFA won't try this nonsense with any male national team. That may have worked against the morale of the girls," the source stated.
NFA media officer, Ademola Olajire, confirmed yesterday that the team was operating at "zero level", saying that there was no money in the team's camp.
Coach Ntiero said at the post match conference that referee Tammy Ogston from Australia should be blamed for the Falcons' loss.
"Officiating in the match was biased. The referee worked against us. I don't understand why all his calls were against us. It was one of the reasons why my girls could not express themselves freely in the game. It worked against us," Ntiero claimed.
He is however optimistic that the Falcons would qualify for the second round by beating the United States in the next match which comes up on Tuesday in Shanghai, a journey of about 38 hours by train.
Ntiero said, "The two early goals demoralized my girls. But we gave the Koreans a good fight in the second half. It is not over for us yet. We will beat USA in the last match."
Earlier, Korean coach Kim revealed that he took his time to study the Falcons in their first game against Sweden last Tuesday. "I studied the Nigerian team very carefully during the match with Sweden and came up with a strategy which worked for us. I am happy we won."
Meanwhile, two Nigerian players, including goalkeeper Precious Dede, were guests of FIFA shortly after Friday's match for dope tests, which lasted for several hours. The duo of Stella Mbachu and Chichi Igbo were tested for doping shortly after the first match against Sweden last Tuesday.
Source: Xinhua
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