EXCLUSIVE: How Desire Oparanozie’s Name “Disappeared” From Super Falcons Revelation Cup List
By Amaechi Agbo
Former Super Falcons captain, Desire Oparanozie’s name was dropped from the final list of the players named by the coach Randy Waldrum for the four-nation Invitational Revelation Cup tournament held in Mexico last month, www.bestchoicesports.com.ng can report.
The 29-year-old Wuhan Jianghan University forward’s name was forwarded to the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF by Waldrum but her name “disappeared” from the final list released thereafter, to the chagrin of the American Coach.
According to Obayiuwana Osasu who quoted an unnamed NFF source, said Waldrum included the ex captain in the team but NFF expunged it.
“I was speaking to a top @thenff official, who told me that @NGSuper_Falcons @CoachWaldrum included @oparanozie9 in the list of players for their recent Mexico tour. But her name “disappeared” from the list at the NFF HQ. How? And why? What kind of nonsense is this?
“The same @thenff official said “a monumental disgrace” awaits the @NGSuper_Falcons at the @fifawwc in Australia and NewZealand. What the official told me was so shocking. I will publish the very disturbing details in the days following the @FIFAcom congress in Kigali,” he said on Twitter.
Few days to the release of the list, Coach Waldrum had extolled the talents he has in the team and singled out Oparanozie among the pull.
“I think the current Super Falcons squad is loaded with so many talented players. There are a lot of players that have much to offer in the team and I am reasonably excited and hopeful,” Waldrum told thenff.com
“Asisat Oshoala is in great form and we all know what she is capable of. When you add players like Desire Oparanozie, who is also very much in the mix, as well as Ifeoma Onumonu, Rasheedat Ajibade and Esther Okoronkwo, no doubt, we have so many effective weapons offensively.”
The Nigeria Football Federation NFF sigled Oparanozie out for opprobrium when the Super Falcons lost 4-2 to South Africa in the Aisha Buhari Cup final in Lagos in September 2021.
“Kgatlana, with her pace, guile and invention, and Jane Refiloe, Melinda Kgadiete and Hildah Magaia left the nine-time African champions the worse for wear after a horrendous 45 minutes at the MJA.
“France-based forward Desire Oparanozie was most awful on the evening, squandering a half-dozen opportunities, easily conceding possession and literally playing against her own team,” NFF said
The former Bayelsa and Delta Queens star lost her captain armband in 2020 after she lead the team to demand for their match entitlements at the 2019 World Cup in France.