Chief Executive Officer of Parrot Sports Group, Anthony Sunday Samuel, has attributed Nigeria’s disappointing defeat in their opening match of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) to tactical shortcomings and inadequate preparation rather than the performance of the players alone.
Reacting to the Super Falcons’ loss, Samuel stressed that the team’s setback should not be viewed solely as a failure on the part of the players, arguing that modern football demands meticulous planning, tactical organisation and quality preparation before major tournaments, Sports247 reports.
“The Super Falcons’ defeat should not be blamed solely on the players,” Samuel said. ”
The bigger issues lie with the coaching decisions and the lack of proper preparation by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Modern football is won through tactical organisation, preparation, and consistency, not just individual talent.”
According to the Parrot Sports Group boss, Nigeria entered the continental championship at a disadvantage after missing out on the calibre of international friendly matches that many leading national teams used to fine-tune their squads ahead of the tournament.
“While other top national teams have been playing high-quality international friendlies to test new systems, build chemistry, and perfect their tactics, the Super Falcons were denied that same level of preparation.
You can not expect a team to suddenly perform at its best against strong opposition without adequate competitive build-up. Success doesn’t happen by magic,” he added.
Samuel also questioned some of the coaching decisions made during the encounter, particularly the decision to leave experienced players such as Kanu and Payne out of the starting line-up.
He believes their absence in the opening half reduced Nigeria’s attacking creativity and limited the team’s ability to influence the game from the outset.
“The decision to bench experienced players like Kanu and Payne reduced the team’s attacking threat. No opponent should be underestimated, and every match deserves the strongest tactical approach from the first whistle,” he noted.
Despite the disappointing result, Samuel remains optimistic that the Super Falcons can recover in their remaining group matches. He described the defeat as a timely wake-up call and urged the coaching crew and the NFF to learn from the performance by making the necessary tactical adjustments and providing the players with the support required to compete at the highest level.
“The Super Falcons have the quality to bounce back, but only if preparation, tactics, and decision-making improve,” he concluded.
