NFF asks Super Falcons coach Madugu to step down after WAFCON

The Nigeria Football Federation has instructed Super Falcons head coach Justine Madugu and his technical crew to step down with immediate effect. The decision follows Nigeria’s disappointing campaign at the Women’s African Cup of Nations in Morocco.

The Super Falcons were eliminated in the quarter-finals after a 1-0 defeat by Cameroon, who went on to win the competition. It was the first time Nigeria had failed to reach the WAFCON semi-finals.

The quarter-final loss also cost Nigeria automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The 10-time WAFCON champions still had another route to the tournament through the play-in stage, but were beaten 2-1 by South Africa.

That result means Nigeria will miss the Women’s World Cup for the first time since appearing at the inaugural edition in China in 1991. South Africa and Ghana will represent Africa at the intercontinental play-offs.

The NFF has also created a fact-finding committee to examine the recent setbacks suffered by the country’s national teams, with particular attention to the Super Falcons’ performances. The committee is expected to identify the causes of the poor results and propose measures to prevent them from happening again.

Former Golden Eaglets coach Fanny Amun will chair the panel. Its other members are former Flying Eagles coach Ladan Bosso, ex-Super Falcons captain Desire Oparanozie, former Super Eagles midfielder Mutiu Adepoju and Dr Alex Mana.