South African female football hero Portia Modise is convinced that the Super Falcons, as presently constituted, are the poorest Nigerian national team she has ever seen, Soccernet.ng reports.
Modise shared her views after watching Nigeria beat South Africa to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games following an aggregate 1-0 victory.
The Super Falcons claimed a 1-0 win over the Banyana Banyana in the first leg in Abuja on April 5. They battled out to secure a goalless draw in the return fixture in Pretoria four days later.
While coach Randy Waldrum’s girls have been applauded for securing Nigeria’s first appearance at the Olympics in 16 years, Modise is appalled at the type of football the Falcons displayed against South Africa.
For Modise, the Super Falcons players had terrible first touches and played with far less quality than the Nigerian teams she played against in the past.
The Banyana Banyana’s all-time top goalscorer with 101 goals, Modise is disappointed the Banyana failed to get the better of such a poor Nigerian team.
And the former South Africa captain has called for the sack of the coach of the reigning African champions, Desiree Ellis.
“I am hurt even now after seeing the game; it’s my first time to see a poor Nigeria team like this since I started football; we needed to beat that team; they didn’t have anything to scare us,” Modise said on Metro FM’s Sports Night Amplified, as per Goal.
“That Nigeria players can’t trap the ball, they can’t do even first touches. That was not a Nigeria we used to play against, not this one.
“When I was watching the game yesterday, we needed people with skill and players who could think, there was none of that in the game against Nigeria yesterday.
“Favouritism needs to stop in the national team and players must be selected deservedly, not because of favouritism. We have good players in the Hollywoodbets Super League; we have good players out there who can perform.
“I think if you want my crucial opinion, I think our coach [Desiree Ellis] has done well and she put us on the plan, but now we require someone with a second plan and a new vision, someone who can take us somewhere.
“Listen, I do not have any beef with the coach, but I think she has done well, and we require someone. Leaving a position sometimes doesn’t mean you didn’t do well, but sometimes we need a fresh mind.”
Nigeria’s Super Falcons remain the number-one ranked team on the continent, followed by South Africa’s Banyana Banyana.
The nine-time African champions reached the knockout round of the FIFA Women’s World Cup last year and will look to repeat the feat at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
NB: Is Randy Waldrum’s Super Falcons as poor as Portia Modise claimed? Leave your comments below.
i can tell you that Modise watch the back of her TV not the front, how can you say this gibberish after watching a tactical match of the nature of Bayana Bayana and super falcons? It was real a tactical match with minimal room for any error. It’s obvious that she has beef with Ellis Desiree, don’t mind her speech.
Invariably, you agreed that the worst Super Falcons team is still better than the best Banyana Banyana side!!! That’s all I want to hear
Goodbye Modise!
You’re a sore lover!
Modise why cry over spilled milk?. If you claim they Nigerian side is the poorest you’ve seen why didn’t you capitalize on their flaws and win?. You lost to a better side and stop crying like a baby.
You are the one reading her post upside down.
she compared this present crop of falcons with the ones she played against and concluded rightly that this was a team of less quality.
Even we as Nigerians know this to beva fact.
This Falcons are not a bad team, just inferior to the Falcons of old.
That’s her point and she is right.
same crop of players minus few never lost any match at the last world cup within 90 Minutes and held England till they were knocked out on penalties
Definitely Modise is simply out of touch with reality .What ever it took to qualify was what Nigeria used . Ok S/Africa played the best brand of football but didn’t qualify so who is wiser here ? You are simply full of
Jealousy ..
Wow! your speech is laced with hatred. It was a discipline and tactical match. They played to instructions.
Na woman dey talk, the falcons she was referring to, would have lost this match with a landslide,she was talking of days women play football in Africa without plan, anywhere Belle face, shoot,so, this kind people also dey south Africa,she is behaving like a typical NFF press man, let’s criticize her, give nonsense reason, and kick her out, I am shocked a woman is performing at this optimal level in football,an area even our male coaches have done badly, haven’t NFF giving Manu Garba another coaching job to do,why was he sacked last time,if it was for bad performance, between that time and now, what has changed,how many coaches have NFF helped to improve their football knowledge, since God born them,born recyclement, south Africa person dey talk,why are you bringing in our dear coach,una dey plan to sack am now,
PHYSICIAN heal thyself!
Why did her best South African team FAIL TO PASS Super Falcons test? Did South African ladies qualify for Olympic Games when she was playing active football? Belated rant…
The most important of all is results. So what this south African player is saying against super falcons is useless and has no bearing.
And yet the strongest bayana bayana in history could not beat the weakest super falcons. shame!!!
She was indirectly condemning the SA team. they must be poorer to be defeated.
I think she is confused,far from reality,I can see immaturity in her speech.
SA, should go and lick their wounds, the lose really pain them wella and this is just the beginning of their misery, they just managed to win one Wafcon title and they are already feeling like the must high
They should go ask Equatorial Guinea what happened to them after they won two consecutive Wafcon trophies where is Equatorial Guinea in women’s football today?
What we simply did was just to allow them hold the Wafcon trophy for sometime afterwards we collect our thing back…yes! our thing, it’s ours the Wafcon title is ours and ours alone
Modise should go cry me a river I want to swim joor.
the Wafcon is Super Falcons Precious it is theirs and theirs alone…my precious!
Ha ha!! It is surprising, disappointing and unbecoming of a soccer veteran like Portia Modise to embark on a scathing criticism of our Super Falcons. It’s nothing but sheer jealousy and bad blood for her to cry over spilled milk, display of poor sportsmanship!!!
I think comments here were out of sentiments, rather than based on clear understanding of what she was out to address. Her message was on both teams, simply put; the standard of play by both teams were below what she expected of them, and I quite agree with her.
cry, cry baby shame on you.
really?and they couldn’t beat the so-called poorest super falcon team? what a shame.
First it was one SAn saying the grass was thicker, now this. Err does Medusa need a bucket or a drum to cry in? I got both and I am willing to donate to this cause.
According to her the Nigerian team is inferior yet South Africans could not win the game, doesn’t that say volumes of their so-called great team.
She will be alright or not
.iNid
I would prefer listening to her and considering the points she had raised, instead of attacking her. Modise was a good footballer in her days who knows what she is saying on issues such as these.
If I were Coach Waldrum, I would watch that video of both games again and make efforts to identify and correct those areas Modise had highlighted. It could only work for good, not bad, for the Super Falcons going forward. Most times, consider what your critic say as your guide to becoming better at your work. Waldrum should listen to her and make amends, she is qualified to make mention of such football issues as these.
I don’t expect anything more from Modise because she is disappointed that their girls did not make it to Paris.
There’s no bad blood in Modise’s comment which i think has to do with degradation of standard in Africa generally, we might be the best right now, but how we’re going to fare with teams from the rest of the world matters a lot. with such comment, it’s left for the coaching crew to reassess the team and work to correct every loopholes to make sure we’re the team to beat and not the whipping team
There are some facts in what she said. I have been following the Nigerian female national teams for long, especially the Falconets and the Super Falcons. Honestly, the standard of play by SOME players on both teams does not merit an invitation to the national team. I watched the Nigerian female league, and I saw some quality players who are far more skilful and better than SOME foreign-based professionals. But, as always, anything is possible in Nigeria. I do hope football administrators and coaches can find time to watch the local women’s league to appreciate my point here.
The weeping Shepolopolo girls are just watching the debate from sidelines.