Olympics: Super Falcons’ exit disappointing, says Udeze
Ifeanyi Udeze, a former Super Eagles player-turned-sports pundit, says the Super Falcons’ exit from the Olympic Games on Wednesday in Paris was disappointing.
Udeze, who is now a sports broadcaster, made this known in an interview with journalists on the Super Falcons’ 1-3 loss to Japan in France.
Their loss to Japan in their last group match followed a 0-1 defeat by Spain in their second match and a similar defeat against Brazil in their first match.
With three consecutive defeats in their group matches, the Nigerian senior female national team exited the 2024 Olympics without a point or win.
The forty-four-year-old Udeze played as a defender for Nigeria in the 2002 and 2004 African Cup of Nations and also at the 2002 World Cup.
According to him, it is sad that the best of the Super Falcons is not good enough at the Paris Olympics.
”I know lots of people are disappointed, I am also disappointed as well. For me, I was expecting that the Super Falcons would win that game against Japan.
”I thought they would go all out to win, and I am also sure that the players, deep inside their hearts, wanted a win as well, but that is football.
”It is so unfortunate that the Falcons lost against Japan, having lost two previous games. It is annoying, embarrassing and disappointing.
”At the same time, the Super Falcons did their best, but not good enough for us as Nigerians. In football, these things happen,” he said.
Udeze said: ”For the fact that they did their best, let us give them kudos, maybe they will perform better next time.
”It is what it is, the Falcons could not even earn a draw, not to talk about a win, I think, basically, something is wrong.
”It is not just about female football, the U-17, U-20, U-23 and the Super Eagles, all the national teams, are having issues for now.
”I just feel that something is wrong somewhere and I am talking about those in charge of Nigerian football administration.
”The administrators should see how they can get things right; we have to fix the problem before we try to get it right.
”Those in charge of football should look at themselves first and try to see how they can make amends and from there, we can expect improvements,” he said.
(NAN)
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
States
Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future
The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
States
Five bar attendants in court for allegedly cheating employer
Ms Okafor told the court that the defendants criminally converted N30 million to their personal use.
World
Indonesian president dismisses chief of staff after arrest in wiretapping case
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto dismissed his chief of staff, Listyo Sigit Prabowo, on Wednesday.
Africa
South Africa: Ramaphosa says U.S. midterm election results usher in new era
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday that the results of the United States midterm elections would usher in a new era in world relations.
States
Kano: Emir of Gaya suspends Kano village head for alleged misconduct
The Gaya Emirate Council in Kano has suspended Shagogo village head Abbas Ibrahim over allegations of gross misconduct.
States
Flooding: SSDC, CR-SEMA move to clear blocked drains in Calabar
The South-South Development Commission has begun clearing major water channels in the Calabar metropolis to address persistent flooding in parts of the city.
States
Ibadan Startup Festival targets growth, emerging market jobs
Organisers of the Ibadan Startup Festival announced plans to use the fourth edition of the annual event to drive startup growth, innovation and job creation in emerging markets.
