President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau, has confirmed that the contract of Super Falcons coach Randy Waldrum will be extended after its expiration on October 31, 2024.
During the interim period, Waldrum's assistant, Justin Madugu, took charge of the squad, leading to speculation about a potential departure between the American coach and the federation.
Previously, the NFF and Waldrum were in a contentious situation after the coach hinted at the misappropriation of the $960,000 FIFA grant intended for the Falcon's World Cup preparation.
Gusau has now clarified that the federation and Waldrum have reached an agreement for a contract extension after prolonged discussions. He noted that the delay was due to the coach's insistence on bringing his assistant and negotiating improved allowances.
The NFF president mentioned that the deal is likely to be finalized on Thursday before the federation's delegation travels for AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast.
"We had a lot of discussions with Waldrum, and I think he’s agreed (to a contract). We had issues before the World Cup, about who he wanted in the team, but in the contract of NFF and Waldrum, there’s nowhere it is stated that Waldrum has the right to come with any assistant," Gusau stated.
He explained further, "During talks for a new contract, he brought up the woman’s issue, saying he wants her in the team, but I told him we don’t want her because I know her condition. He talked about an increment of his allowances, and we said no. As far as I’m concerned, the Falcons didn’t surpass their highest level of performance at the World Cup, a quarter-final outing. So, he didn’t meet the parameter for us to negotiate a new allowance."
Waldrum, appointed by the NFF in 2020, successfully led the Falcons to the semi-finals of the 2022 WAFCON in Morocco and the round of 16 at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
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