Nigeria women's coach Thomas Dennerby resigns

By Oluwashina Okeleji, Football Writer, France
1 hour ago
From the section African Football.


Swedish coach Thomas Dennerby led Nigeria to a ninth Women's Africa Cup of Nations title in Ghana in 2018

Thomas Dennerby has resigned as coach of Nigeria's women's team despite having a year left on his contract.

The 60-year-old Swede excused himself from the Super Falcons' last two games due to a dispute with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

He also refused to show up for a reconciliation meeting arranged by the country's sports minister Sunday Dare.


BBC Sport understands that in his resignation letter, Dennerby, whose deal was due to run until the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, cited unfulfilled contractual obligations including unpaid wages and a lack of both co-operation and accommodation in the country.

"Mr Dennerby has sent his resignation letter to the NFF and this doesn't surprise anyone because he decided to stay away from the team last month," a top NFF official told BBC Sport.

"He says he has now left everything with his lawyers and the NFF will make a statement at the right time."

Under Dennerby the Super Falcons reached the last 16 of this year's World Cup in France and won last year's Women's Africa Cup of Nations.

In his absence, and under the guidance of caretaker manager Christopher Danjuma, the African champions suffered a shock exit from the 2020 Olympic qualifying.

Appointed in January 2018 as a replacement for Florence Omagbemi, Dennerby also led the side to their maiden regional (Wafu) title in May as part of the build up to the World Cup.

The first foreign coach to both qualify for and lead Nigeria at the World Cup, his team's run in France was the country's best performance in two decades - after their quarter-final finish in 1999.

naptu2:


Sorry it took so long for me to respond. Yesterday was quite a hectic day.


I have always said that the biggest problem with Nigerian football is not the players or the coaches, but the administration. Poor administration is the biggest thing that has held Nigerian football back. There was absolutely no reason to frustrate Florence Omagbemi out of the job.

Florence Omagbemi was not sacked to make way for Thomas Dennerby. Rather, the NFF and the Sports Ministry failed to do their job, which was to take care of the welfare of the team that won the 2016 AWCON in Cameroon. The players consequently staged a protest in Abuja. Some NFF officials blamed her for the protest. They accused her of failing to control the players.

https://www.completesports.com/nff-dilemma-appointment-super-falcons-coach/

It is quite obvious to all sensible people that the NFF and the Sports Ministry were the cause of that protest and it makes no sense to blame Omagbemi for it. The players are adults and they know when they are being maltreated.

https://guardian.ng/sport/omagbemi-celebrated-by-fifa-rejected-by-nff/

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/10/laloko-blasts-nff-omagbemis-sacking/

The NFF subsequently frustrated her out of the job. They had promised to renew her contract if she won the 2016 AWCON, but they allowed the contract to lapse. In fact, they were owing her and her assistants a lot of money in unpaid salaries and allowances. Many months later, they asked her and other coaches to reapply for the job and they used this to frustrate her out of the job.

Contrast Omagbemi's situation with the case of Desiree Ellis. She played for Banyana Banyana at about the same time that Omagbemi played for the Super Falcons. They both met again (this time as coaches) when the Super Falcons beat South Africa in the semi-final of the 2016 AWCON. Since then the NFF has frustrated Omagbemi out of the job, while SAFA and SASOL (Banyana Banyana's sponsor) have given Ellis everything that she needs to succeed and she has become the first coach to qualify Banyana Banyana for the World Cup.

The NFF was divided over whether to appoint Edwin Okon (who was coach of the team at the 2015 World Cup) or to appoint a foreigner as coach after Omagbemi had been forced out of the job.

Like I said earlier, Omagbemi was not sacked to make way for Dennerby. In fact, the NFF announced Randy Waldrum as coach of the Falcons in 2017. However, the poor administration that I spoke about earlier wrecked that deal.

The NFF announced Waldrum as the new coach without reaching any agreement with him. They merely spoke to him on the phone and then they did not contact him for 3 months after that telephone conversation and so Waldrum abandoned the Super Falcons job and took up a position as coach of the University of Pittsburgh.

https://www.thecable.ng/nff-randy-waldrum-super-falcons

The NFF eventually hired Thomas Dennerby, primarily because he had coached Sweden to the 3rd place in the 2011 Women's World Cup.

naptu2:
The Super Falcons Miracle.

It is a miracle that the Super Falcons of Nigeria have qualified for the 2018 AWCON final because they’ve suffered a torrid time since winning the 2016 AWCON in Cameroon.


The Super Falcons’ woes began even before they played the final match at the 2016 AWCON. They had heard that the sports minister, Solomon Dalung and members of the NFF led by their president, Amaju Pinnick, would come and address the team, especially on issues concerning their camp allowances, winning bonuses and the coaches’ nine months salaries would be settled.

However, the sports minister, NFF president and their delegation flew into Yaounde in a chartered jet, stayed at the airport until it was almost time for the match, drove straight to the stadium to watch the match without seeing the Falcons and then drove back to the airport after the match and flew to Nigeria without seeing the players.

The VIPs flew into Yaounde in a chartered jet, but the players had to fly back to Nigeria via commercial flights. They had to fly from Yaounde to Douala in a plane that was too small to carry their luggage (their luggage was transported by road) and then fly from Douala to Abuja.

Protest

Their allowances and bonuses were still not paid when they returned to Abuja and they had to stage a sit in protest at their hotel.

Meanwhile, the Lionesses of Cameroon that were beaten by the Falcons were being hosted by President Biya at a state reception in which they were showered gifts, given medals and praised as heros of Cameroon.
[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/reception_lionnes_full_08_12_2016.jpg?w=584[/img]
Gaelle Enganamouit and other lionesses being hosted to a reception by President Biya of Cameroon after coming second at the 2016 AWCON.

The Falcons protested at their hotel until they were evicted, then they carried their protest to the streets. They staged a protest march to the National Assembly and they also marched to the Aso Rock Villa where they were received by the chief of staff to the president. The COS promised that President Buhari would intervene in their situation.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/92966305_2b5fe69e-ddb7-4461-9aff-017599350c1b.jpg?w=584[/img]
Ngozi Okobi, Rita Chikwelu and other Falcons protesting on the streets of Abuja.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/falcons-protest-1-1.png?w=584[/img]
[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/falcons-4.jpg?w=584[/img]
[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/falcons8.jpg?w=584[/img]
[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/falcons-protest.jpg?w=584[/img]

The Falcons protesting outside the National Assembly
[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/falcons-protest1.jpg?w=584[/img]

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/super-falcons.jpg?w=584[/img]

The Falcons with Abba Kyari (chief of staff to the president) outside the Aso Rock precinct)
[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/pay-falcons-bbc.jpg?w=584[/img]
[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/super-falcons2.jpg?w=584[/img]
[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/abba-kyari-and-super-falcons.jpg?w=584[/img]

It took an intervention by President Buhari before the Falcons and their coaches were paid their entitlements.

Florence Omagbemi

Some members of the NFF were angry that the Falcons staged a protest in Abuja. They believed that the Falcons embarrassed the NFF before the government and people of Nigeria and they held Coach Florence Omagbemi responsible for the protest.

They believed that Coach Omagbemi was responsible because she did not control her players and prevent them from protesting, so they decided that she must go. They decided that they would either appoint a foreigner as coach of the Falcons or they would recall the former coach, Edwin Okon, to take over as coach.

The NFF initially ignored Coach Omagbemi for months, then they directed her to apply for her job. They eventually frustrated her out of the job and the Falcons were without a coach for many months.

Agony of ex-Super Falcons coach, Godwin Izilien 12 years after Nations Cup triumph in South Africa

By Gowon Akpodonor | 30 December 2016 | 2:04 am

In 2004, Coach Godwin Izilein led the Super Falcons to win the African Nations Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was the fourth AWC title for Nigeria.

Twelve years down the line, the coach, now 74 years old, and the rest of his coaching crew are still being owed salary arrears of over $28,750, out of which, $12,000 of the amount belongs to Izilien.

As in the case of the Coach Florence Omagbemi-led Super Falcons squad that won the recently concluded 2016 African Women’s Nations cup in Cameroun, the team to the 2004 AWC in Jo’burg was not given any chance by the then NFA board led by Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima before their departure for that championship.

With determination, however, Izilien and his players fought and won the battle, beating the Lionesses of Cameroun 5-0 in the final with Perpetua Nkwocha (now an assistant coach of the team) accounting for four goals plus a late strike from pocket dynamite, Vera Okolo.

Millions of football-loving Nigerians back home celebrated the victory late into the night, but unknown to them, Coach Izilien, members of his coaching crew and the players were being subjected to derision in far away Johannesburg.

Sensing another round foul play when the Galadima-led NFA defaulted in paying all entitlements after the competition, the girls protested by refusing to leave their hotel rooms the next morning for the airport, insisting on getting their camp allowances and winning bonuses.

“The team was abandoned by the Federal Government delegation, but as a coach and father to the players at that point in time, I had to stay back with them until the Nigeria Consulate intervened by paying the players’ entitlements,” Izilien recalled in a chat with The Guardian yesterday. “I took the pain to stay back with them because abandoning the girls at that point would be seen as unprofessional. But I was pleading with them to end the protest since we were in another country, but they refused.

“So many Nigerians who did not even know what transpired between me and the players in Johannesburg started to spread rumour back home that I instigated the players to embark on the protest. Some ‘bad belle’ people even went as far as saying that they saw us displaying Biafran flag while protesting on the streets of Johannesburg. I am an Edo man, and I have not seen a Biafran flag in my entire life. All the rumour were meant to spoil the mind of then President Olusegun Obasanjo and members of the Federal Executive Council,” he said.

Speaking further, Izilien, who also led the National U-17 team, Golden Eagles, to the African Championship in The Gambia in 1995 said: “Some of the Super Falcons players I took to South Africa in 2004 were relatively young. I discovered them during school competitions, and it is only fair that government should have appreciated my efforts. I am only using this medium to appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari, the Vice President, Prof. Yomi Osibanjo, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, members of the Senate Committee on Sports, House of Representatives and indeed all well meaning Nigerians to come to my rescue. It hurts me on daily basis whenever I remember the sacrifices I made for the country, and how I have been neglected in return. The players got their money, so why should I continue to suffer? Many governments have come and gone, but I will be very grateful to the Buhari administration if he could pay us the equivalent of that money. It is a way of rewarding excellence and fulfilling Federal Government’s promises.

“I have written several letters to concerned authorities without a single reply; I am suffering after being neglected by the football authority. To think that I agreed to handle the female national team at a time of crisis without asking for extra remuneration, and to be treated in this manner is not encouraging for the growth of the game. I did it out of patriotism for fatherland.

“We were promised payments on arrival in Nigeria after the championship, but till date nobody has said anything about that money,” Coach Izilien added.

naptu2:
The female national football team was thrown into crisis a few days ago when the coach, Thomas Dennerby, resigned from his position. The Super Falcons had staged a protest to demand for their allowances at the FIFA World Cup in France earlier this year (see previous thread https://www.nairaland.com/5260668/super-falcons-protest-unpaid-bonuses) and some members of the NFF were trying to freeze out players that they believed were behind the protest. The coach was not happy that NFF members were interfering with team selection and he was also unhappy that he was being owed his salary, so he tendered his resignation.

The sports minister, Sunday Dare, has waded into the crisis and he had a phone conversation with Thomas Dennerby in order to convince him to change his mind.
https://twitter.com/SundayDareSD/status/1173668454429339649

Meanwhile, the NFF appointed Chris Danjuma as the acting coach of the team and Coach Danjuma has stripped Desire Oparanozie of the captainship and made the assistant captain, Asisat Oshoala, the new captain.

https://twitter.com/NGSuper_Falcons/status/1174036747237363712

REVEALED: Why Dennerby Dumped Super Falcons, Danjuma Drafted In

By Amaechi Agbo

Super Falcons Coach, Thomas Dennerby has left the team unceremoniously over claims that some influential members of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) were interfering in his work as Falconets coach, Chris Danjuma has been drafted in to take charge of the team as they play in the second round of the 2020 Olympic qualifier against Cote d’Ivoire later this month, Bestchoicesports.com.ng can report.

The 60-year-old Dennerby has been in-charge of the Super Falcons for over 18 months. He was engaged in January, 2018.

Best Choice Sports had in August reported plans by a cabal in the NFF to frustrate Dennerby out of the team. The cabal who are from the Secretariat and Women Department of the federation worked against the wishes of the coach to have his former assistant, Maureen Mmadu retained as well as blocked him from inviting Falcons combative midfielder, Rita Chikwelu, and others to the qualifiers against Algeria.

A source close to the NFF said the Swede, who led Nigeria to yet another African Women Nations Cup triumph last year and the round of 16 at the France 2019 Women World Cup, left the country immediately after Nigeria’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics qualifier against Algeria at the Agege Stadium on September 3.

“Dennerby complained that some NFF officials were making his job difficult for some selfish reasons. These officials ensured that some players, who complained that they were being owed allowances and winning bonuses, were shut out of the national team. These officials wield enormous power in the women teams.

“He got angry that these people have taken their activities to his team selection and decided the best thing to do was to go away. But we are trying to talk to him and address his concerns in the interest of the nation,” the source said.

Before he left, Dennerby was preparing the Super Falcons for a Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualifier against Cote d’Ivoire for which the federation recently invited 30 overseas and home-based players to camp. The players, according to the NFF, are expected to arrive in camp today, but the source said Dennerby may not likely return to lead the team against Cote d’Ivoire unless on-going efforts to convince him to return succeeds. The source added that the crisis infested NFF has asked Falconets’ Head Coach, Christopher Danjuma to take charge of the team for the Cote d’Ivoire game.

More facts that the Swedish had abandoned the team emerged when on 13th of September, NFF released the list of the players to prosecute the matches against Cote d’Ivoire with Dennerby’s name not mentioned in the release. This was in contradiction with the earlier release the NFF made when the team tackled Algeria in the second round qualifier.

In the release made on 7th August, the NFF said “Tokyo 2020: Dennerby invites 30 Super Falcons for Algeria,” with Dennerby’s name appearing in the headline and lead of the release unlike the 13th September release with the heading “Tokyo 2020: Super Falcons to regroup for Cote d’Ivoire,” with the coaches name never mentioned a single time.

Dennerby, who returned to his native country of Sweden two weeks ago, is not back in Nigeria to lead the team against the Elephants with two weeks to go to the first leg tie in Abidjan.

The Swede left the country after leading the Super Falcons to the third round of the African Women’s Olympic qualifiers. This was after a 3-0 aggregate win over Algeria but he is now on the verge of leaving his post.

The 60-year-old gaffer, who led Sweden to finish third at the 2011 Women’s World Cup in Germany, had signed a two-and-a-half-year contract to take charge of the team in January 2018.

In his last 18-months in charge, Dennerby led Nigeria to a third-place finish at the 2018 Wafu Women’s Cup in Cote d’Ivoire, where he returned to lift the title in 2019.

He also won the 2018 African Women’s Cup of Nations in Ghana and later steered the nation to the Women’s World Cup knockout stage for the first time in 20 years in France earlier this summer.

Dennerby and the Nigeria Football Federation are yet to comment on the matter, but a top NFF source told Goal the gaffer is threatening to quit due to his frustration and lack of support.

“It is a serious matter because he [Thomas Dennerby] has been complaining about a lack of support which was not really from the NFF leadership but the secretariat,” the source informed Goal.

“Most of his demands are administrative. He wants a permanent residence in Nigeria to stay and also support to travel around and see league matches week in, week out.

“Although he is still being owed one to two months he is not complaining about the money but the necessary administrative backing for his day-to-day activities.

“I also think the major reason why he is not happy was the fact he was not informed about some of his key players taken to the African Games when he was planning for the Olympic qualifiers.

“Well, he felt his job was tied to the Olympics and denying access to his best players was possibly a ploy to sabotage him. We don’t know if he will return or not but these are some of his demands.”

Having learned about Dennerby’s stance, the NFF has swiftly drafted U20 women’s head coach Christopher Danjuma to lead the team against Clementine Toure’s side, on the interim basis.

Danjuma, who recently invited 37 players, will be assisted by his U20 assistants – Wemimo Matthew and Abdul-lateef Yusuf as the Super Falcons open camp in Abuja on Sunday.

It is not the first time Dennerby had threatened to quit for similar reasons. At the moment, it is unclear whether the NFF, led by Amaju Pinnick, will be interested to honour the demands of Dennerby.

The Super Falcons camp opened in Abuja on Sunday while the first leg of the qualifier will hold at on September 30 while the return leg will hold on 6th October at Agege Stadium, Lagos.

Thomas Dennerby’s contract was to expire after the Olympics in August 2020.

majamajic:
hmmm

they don try a local coach , and they are out of the Olympics


I don't know why NFF can't pay her workers

upon all the money are getting from government and individual

after the match at Agege the Nigerian local coach was waiting and was preparing the team for extra time . not knowing about the away goal rules. imagine !!!

majamajic:
hmmm

they don try a local coach , and they are out of the Olympics


I don't know why NFF can't pay her workers

upon all the money they are getting from government and individual

after the match at Agege the Nigerian local coach was waiting and was preparing the team for extra time . not knowing about the away goal rules. imagine !!!

mrvitalis:
When north run sports what do u expect

People who contribute the least are made to run affairs over people that know the sports

There is no passion at all

naptu2:
This situation is very similar to what happened after the 2016 African Women's Nations Cup. The players also protested after that Nations Cup and the NFF blamed the coach, Florence Omagbemi, and frustrated her out of the job.

Iolo:


Amaju pinnick is from delta state