Poor preparation blamed for Falcons, Flying Eagles losses

Football stakeholders have blamed inadequate preparation, tactical deficiencies and weak developmental structures for the recent setbacks suffered by the Super Falcons and Flying Eagles.

Some football stakeholders in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have blamed inadequate preparation, tactical deficiencies and weak developmental structures for the recent setbacks suffered by the country’s national football teams. The stakeholders spoke against the backdrop of the Super Falcons’ 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Cameroon at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Casablanca on Sunday. The Flying Eagles also lost 4-1 to Burkina Faso in the final of the 2026 WAFU Zone B U-20 Championship.

Abimbola Samuel, owner of Casmatt Football Club and a technical adviser, attributed the Super Falcons’ poor showing largely to inadequate preparation. “The preparation was not good. Some of those girls reported directly to Morocco about two to three days before the major competition. There is nothing like preparation. As soon as you don’t prepare well, you are prepared to fail,” he said.

Olufunmilayo Adeoti, coach of Abigealand FC, called for stronger technical structures and increased investment in quality coaches. “Nigeria has the money. We should be able to go for the best, just like Morocco did,” she said. Tolulope Oguntimilehin, a sports journalist, said the Super Falcons’ defeat should not be blamed solely on Head Coach Justine Madugu, urging the sports media to hold the NFF accountable for the preparation of the national teams.

The criticism is valid. The Super Falcons’ preparation was clearly inadequate, and the NFF must take responsibility. The Flying Eagles’ defeat to Burkina Faso, a team they had already lost to in the group stage, suggests a failure to learn from previous mistakes. The consistent theme is a lack of preparation and planning.

This echoes the 2022 WAFCON exit, which also saw the Super Falcons criticised for poor preparation. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a team that underperformed due to inadequate preparation.

The winners: the stakeholders who are speaking out; and the Nigerian public, who deserve accountability. The losers: the NFF, which faces criticism; and the national teams, which suffer from poor preparation.

Bottom Line: Stakeholders are blaming poor preparation for the national teams’ failures. The NFF must do better. The question is whether the federation will learn from the criticism or ignore it.