World Cup failure: ‘I’m not afraid of being sacked’ — Madugu

By Enitan Abdultawab

Super Falcons head coach Justin Madugu says he is not afraid of losing his job following Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the tournament were ended on Thursday after the Super Falcons suffered a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in the qualifying playoffs.

The result means Nigeria will miss the Women’s World Cup for the first time since the tournament began in 1991.

Speaking to the press after the defeat, Madugu apologised to Nigerians and accepted responsibility for the team’s failure.

“First of all, I have to apologise to Nigerians over our inability to make it to the World Cup. It was not our intention. We came and did the best that we could, but our best was not good enough,” he said.

“We are very sorry for that, and we take full responsibility for everything that happened,” Madugu added.

The coach was also asked about calls for his dismissal following the disappointing result.

“I am not afraid of being sacked. To the glory of God, I have served my country. It was a privilege that was given to me,” Madugu said.

He noted that he had managed almost 28 matches, recording 19 wins, four defeats and four draws, but admitted that the defeat to South Africa came at a crucial stage.

Madugu blamed Nigeria’s failure to convert chances and defensive mistakes for the loss.

“We had chances, but conversion was another problem. We also made some little errors at the back, and they capitalised on that and got their goals,” he said.

He also suggested that complacency and overconfidence may have contributed to the team’s costly mistakes.

“It could be complacency, it could also be overconfidence, and then we end up making mistakes over unnecessary issues,” he added.

Madugu further admitted that the Super Falcons were wasteful in front of goal despite creating several opportunities during the tournament.

“We have not been clinical in front of goal. We create several chances, but we are very wasteful with the opportunities that come our way,” he said.

According to him, Nigeria could have put the game beyond South Africa’s reach in the first half but failed to take their chances.

“South Africa were more clinical and converted the chances that came their way,” Madugu added.

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