Thomas Dennerby has resigned as head coach of the Super Falcons despite having a year left on his contract with the Nigeria Foognall Federation.
Dennerby, 60, excused himself from the Super Falcons’ last two games due to a dispute with the (NFF).
He also refused to show up for a reconciliation meeting arranged by the Nigeria’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.
21 Comments
Sad. Very sad.
NFF has finally terrorised the guy till he resigned.. Owning him wages unpaid bills..what a shame NFF
Replace with someone who will ‘PLAY’ ball, even the SF does not qualify for any competition again. I only blame the British.
“How to sack a coach without sacking him” – The NFF template
Stage 1. Strip him of his assistants
Stage 2. Start tempering/ interfering with his management of the team.
Stage 3. Buy over one or two Judas(es) amongst the players in camp to cause chaos within the team.
Stage 4. Ban senior/influential members of the team 1 by 1.
Stage 5. Withhold and owe him and the team their entitlements.
Any coach that doesn’t leave out of frustration after stage 5 deserves a national award…trust me.
Haha Drey,rightly so,you are spot on
With every passing day the Pinnick board keeps turning out to look more like a “fraud” rather than the real deal. Apparently,the board seems to be getting rich personally while the staff,employees,players,coaches and league continues to linger in indebtedness.
I believe Amaju started well but with the way things are being run,he and his board might end up a disaster.
The results coming in aren’t really favourable ( except the Super Eagles,who I hope don’t get stuck in this quagmire.)
The league is in comatose.
Coaches are been owed.
Players have to fight for what rightfully belongs to them.we had it with the flying Eagles,the Super Eagles, and the Super Falcons.
The national teams don’t really have a home venue. We keep moving from place to place at the mercies of a governors.
We play international games in stadia not up to standard wereas those that meet up this standard are totally abandoned.
Yet,we read about sponsorship deals being signed left right and centre,yet no one can really see the positive of these so called deals.
For me, Amaju is lost to his ego and as that have always put the cart before the horse. He has big personal dreams (which is ok) but have no real means to bring such to fruition,or he think he does but ran too quickly than he should have at a time. So he lives on handout and panic mode,but showing the Nigerian public the fake picture,that all is settled and everything is running smooth.
He is putting all his hope in his close friend, Aiteo and his governor,Okowa. How long can that carry a nation like Nigeria with so many teams in the international scene? How long can we live a lie? No matter what, the false narrative would surely be read at a time.And they are beginning to come out.
Amaju should get his act right. He should set out his priorities cause he and his board has misplaced them along the way; and right now losing the trust and respect they once had, both from the coaches,players,fans and I am sure ,sponsors too; cause they seem to have run out.
We have a new sports minister who is willing to listen and do needful(at least from the way Dare started and his body language).Amaju should used him positively. And do the needful..
1. Sort out your finances.
2. Sort out your infrastructure
3. Sort out your league.
4. Sort out management team in all aspect.
5. Show more transparency
And more importantly, sort out your priorities.
You don’t have a well defined league both male and female yet you want to host the female u20 world cup. Knowing fully well,such finances to be spent for such event can be used else where that is most needed right now.For crying out loud,you are owing debts left right and centre.
You don’t have a league yet you have a league management board.most of them ,just honorary badwagon of the Super Eagles.
What’s the purpose of the technical committee when we lack development plans,centres and a playing structure in all levels of our game. What is their technical input to football in Nigeria as we speak.
And who is in charge of marketing cause all I see is Pinnick, Dikko and Seyi always. Who the hell heads the marketing department? Why is he or she being paid or even there?cause I see no work done.
I don’t know but Pinnick and his board must wake up and stop this disarray.
And you think people really have time to read this novel that youvwrote? Lol
@Footballfanatic..
Hahaha..
Nice one..
I am sure some people will.I even tried to make it a short novel,the problem and solution I was about writing could have taken a whole Bible..
But I supposed if people don’t read, I was just getting my opinion across.
Besides,now that you mentioned.hope you read it?
Would be nice to hear your view…
I m there with you @ Hush. I commend your efforts in trying to find that very valued time to write. That has been some very big challenge. I HV got loads to say but where is the time to write or for many who may wanna read to read. So I honestly appreciate people like you for finding tme to do this. NIGERIA REMAIN A MOST BLESSED NATION BUT NIGERIAN MENTALITY IS CURSED. SO KNOWING WHERE THE PROBLEM IS, IS GOOD N FIRST STEP TO FIX IT.
My appreciation @Glory.
I think the more we talk and act upon issues like this the best for us..
People like you and I,and those out there,with an open mind and deep thoughts should not keep quiet. Cause when we are silent.they win.
Nigeria is a failed state.
One by one, it will keep failling until we begin to owe the police and the army their salaries , then the end will come.
SHAMELESS ZOO.
A nation where the blind leeds those that see.
“A nation where the blind leeds those that see.”
….because those who claim to see will rather vote on BBN than go to the polling booth on election days and vote sensible people into power.
The truth is that your vote doesn’t count. How will it when they can compute whatever figures they want?
I de laff oh ….
What were the rest of you looking at when they were “computing what ever figures they want”….?
I thought they are supposed to be the dull ones and you the smart ones…?
My people plZ let us not blame nff on this man issue that coach is only but a coward,he knows what was waiting for him was a sack because he can’t take the team nowhere,his excuse was that the federation invited players without telling him,pls is that a reason an employee will dump his job?.nff should make sure that this man is penalized for negligence of duty,
Ubah stop supporting evil. Even a blind man knows that NFF is 1000% at fault here. You intefere with a coaches job, owe him, flout your contratual obligations and you expect a decent coach to continue. This is the mentality that keeps us poor but as you can see he’s not like us. You seem to be encouraging ineptitude and lack of professionalism. We cannot succede in the 21st century as a people if this continues.
Oga @adisboy u can call me whatever you want no wahala,God bless you,but I am sure of what am saying here,am not talking about our government pls and I have never say that Nigeria is going well but nff are not owing mr Rohr,they even reject dat claim today,dat journalist just needed attention because he didn’t have one,up super eagles
Ubah, not everyone can stomach what Rhor is stomaching. You didn’t read Rohr’s interview in Germany recently? The NFF are still not running things professionally and this has to stop if we are to get anywhere.
I agree with Ubah on this issue. Granted, the NFF have not done well at all. If what we are hearing is true, they contributed to his quitting the job, by failing to provide him with the support he needed. Besides owing him wages, which is enough to demoralize any hired person. But Dennerby was under contract, and should have done everything possible to fulfill it. Abandoning the team is very unprofessional, and a breach of his contract. By abandoning the team, he has given the NFF amunition to go after him in court, or to defend themselves if he goes after them. If he had stayed with the team, and resigned after failing to qualify, with properly documented reasons why he is resigning, that looks a lot more professional to me, and gives him a much better case in court. If I was considering Dennerby for a job, I would be concerned that he would bail in the event of the slightest disagreement with management. His future employers will look at his resume, and his most recent position with Nigeria, and they will make a hiring decision based on this. Dennerby has not done his career a favor at all by quitting the team. Having said that, I want to emphasize as well that the failure of the NFF in all these brouhaha is utterly disgraceful. Now, our Super Falcons will be absent in Tokyo 2020.
I knew that this would happened. NFF should keep deceiving Nigerians.
Thank you so much Mr. Dennerby. The great man himself. Great caracter. Very humble man. I’m going to mis you.
This is the kind of person Nigerians need as our president and Nigeria as a Country.
First, we have to change our mindset if we want our Country to be better.
Nigerians are not ready for a change yet.
This is the NFF everyone believed they were doing an awesome job? And I saw this coming long time ago that they are just misleading People.
I’m missing the coach already.
The only thing that making Oga Rohr to be successful as a coach under the NFF is endurance but how long the relationship is going to be last for is what I don’t know.
NFF lies too much. How about the refresher course they promised Coach Rohr? We are watching you very closely NFF. Oh no. I’m sorry, I will never be deceived by you NFF.
God bless Nigeria!!!
Let him go , he did not improve the team so what is this anger for, he merely did what Nigerian coaches had achieved and even surpassed in the past