Oparanozie calls for qualified coach after Super Falcons failure

Former Nigeria international Desire Oparanozie has called for the Super Falcons to appoint a more qualified coach. Her comments follow the team's failure to secure a place at the next women's World Cup.

Nigeria's qualification hopes ended after a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in the play-in tie on Thursday. Thembi Kgatlana and Refiloe Jane scored for South Africa in the second half to give Banyana a 2-0 lead. Christy Ucheibe scored a late penalty for the Super Falcons during stoppage time, but the comeback was insufficient. This result means the Super Falcons will miss the women's World Cup for the first time since their debut in 1991.

Oparanozie described the outcome as disappointing and noted that South Africa played well for the full 90 minutes. She observed that the Nigerian players appeared to be reacting to situations rather than controlling the game. She suggested that the squad needs fresh young talent and a qualified guardian to move forward.

South Africa and Ghana will advance to the Intercontinental playoffs to compete for a spot at the 2027 FIFA women's World Cup in Brazil. Other nations, including Morocco, Algeria, Malawi, and Cameroon, have already secured automatic qualification following their quarterfinal victories at WAFCON.

The Super Falcons' recent campaign at WAFCON was their poorest in the history of the tournament. After losing 3-2 to Malawi in their opening match, they defeated Zambia 1-0 and beat Egypt 6-2. However, a 1-0 loss to Cameroon in the quarterfinals prevented them from reaching the semifinals, a feat they have achieved every year since 1998.