Nigeria's women's national team is planning to go on strike by boycotting their opening game of the World Cup. This is in response to an ongoing dispute surrounding match bonuses. The Nigerian squad also had their preparatory camp cancelled weeks before the summer's event in Australia and New Zealand. As a result, they could potentially miss their first tournament game against Canada on July 21st.
Nigeria is in Group B with co-hosts Australia, Ireland, and Canada, but they have been embroiled in a heated row with the Nigerian Football Federation. This comes after accusations that the governing body failed to properly compensate players and cancelled a preparation camp just weeks before the team's travel to Australia and New Zealand.
Randy Waldrum, the head coach of Nigeria's women's national team, called out the NFF on a podcast, stating, "I joke about it with people here in the US. We have fewer days than a college pre-season to get ready for the World Cup. It blows my mind."
"We had to pick a final 23 based on the last camp. Some of these players have been off since May, so I really do not know the physical condition they are in, despite sending them programs to follow."
Due to compensation issues, Nigeria refused to participate in a training session last summer ahead of their third-place play-off match against Zambia at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations. None of the Nigerian players received their allocated allowances or a bonus of over $10,000 for previous wins against Botswana, Burundi, and Cameroon.
Waldrum further shared, "Players refused to come out of their hotel rooms, no training, no recovery, and did not take care of their bodies. The federation flew in the night before we played Zambia, brought a little bit of money, and pacified them with a little bit of money."
During all eight iterations of the Women's World Cup, Nigeria's women's national team has participated and represented their country, which is one of only seven teams to have done so. However, Nigeria's achievements have been relatively low with the team.