HÄUPTLE REFLECTS ON HEAVY DEFEAT TO NIGERIA: “WE DON’T HAVE SO MUCH TALENT”

19.07.2025 | Football DNA ⚽️

Copper Queens head coach Nora Häuptle has admitted that her side was thoroughly outclassed by Nigeria following a humbling 5-0 defeat in the quarterfinals of the 2024 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

Speaking after the match, Häuptle gave credit to the Super Falcons, acknowledging the gulf in class and depth between the two sides.

“Very clear loss for us. Congratulations to Nigeria for the well-deserved victory. I think today we need to accept that Nigeria was better than us,” she said.

The Swiss coach described the loss as a collective setback, emphasizing that both players and technical staff were below their best on the day.

“Today none of us has been on top. I think it was a collective loss. None of our players were top, neither was I as a coach.”

Häuptle went on to highlight the disparity in player development and international exposure, pointing out that most of Nigeria’s squad members play abroad, while Zambia’s talent pool is far more limited.

“We just need to mention also that in the Nigerian squad, almost everyone plays abroad—either in France or America. They have much more players overseas. Nigeria is a country with about 200 million people, and Zambia has just 20 million. We don’t have so much talent.”

Currently, only a handful of Copper Queens players ply their trade abroad, with the majority competing in the local league. The coach believes this plays a significant role in the physical and tactical gap witnessed on the pitch.

“We’ve got at the moment nine or ten players abroad, and the rest play in the domestic league. We have also seen that, physically, they are not on the same level. We need to accept that and go back to see how we can get more of our players abroad earlier.”

Despite the disappointment, Häuptle insists the team’s long-term vision remains intact. She reaffirmed the Copper Queens’ hunger for growth and determination to challenge Africa’s elite in future tournaments.

“We mentioned that we were going to hunt. We made it clear that Nigeria is a multiple-time winner of this tournament, while we are still growing and developing. We were here to hunt, and we will continue to hunt in the next tournament. We are hungry, and we will keep developing. We don’t care much about what others say.”

The Copper Queens will now shift focus to the lessons learned as they continue building for future competitions.