By Amaechi Agbo

As Super Falcons square up against their Algeria counterpart in a 2020 Olympic football qualifier, there is unease calm in the camp of the nine-time Africa champions as a cabal within the Nigeria Football Federation is determined to frustrate the effort of the chief coach of the side, Thomas Dennerby, Bestchoicesports.com.ng can report.

Thomas Dennerby, a Swedish tactician with proven track record in female football both in his homeland and abroad, was engaged by the NFF in January 2018 to take charge of the Super Falcons. Since then, he has been able to transform the team to remain consistent as the Africa Queen of Football as well as go beyond the group stage at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. He led the ladies beyond the group stage for the first time in 20 years.

By all ramifications, with the blend of local players with the foreign professionals into the team, Coach Thomas Dennerby have scored above average when it comes to rating his achievement with the girls in less than two years.

However, Best Choice Sports have gathered authoritatively, that a cabal in the Glass House, who are not comfortable with the coach is determined to frustrate him and ensure he is booted out of the team.

The first indication of the plans by the cabal within the federation to frustrate Dennerby came to the fore when, despite his consistent demand to retain his former assistant Coach Maureen Mmadu in her position, was vehemently turned down by the officials of the NFF.

This paper learnt that on the issue of Maureen, NFF President, Amaju Pinnick has remained mute and refused to make open comment about it. It was also gathered that when Coach Dennerby spoke to him about it, he promised to get back to him but this paper cannot at this moment confirm if he had gotten back to coach.

But in a twist of event, Falconets assistant coach, Wemimo Matthew was speedily drafted to take the place of Coach Maureen Mmadu. While the coach, who has spent over 8 years with the female U-20 is currently in Morocco with the Falconets, her position in the Super Falcons have been reserved until she returns from Africa Games.

But in a move to ensure that there was no vacuum, a new assistant coach was appointed by the NFF for the Falconets. The new coach who is from Abuja FA was drafted immediately to replace the new Falcons Assistant coach pending when she returns from the Africa Games.

Coach Thomas Dernnerby and his girls arrived Algeria Saturday for the first leg of Tokyo 2020 football qualifier against the Algerian ladies with all the players drawn from the local league after five foreign players invited for the clash all decline to show up citing clubs’ engagements.

Cabal’s Move to Force Rita Chikwelu To Early Falcons retirement

One fact this paper understood is the clandestine move by the cabal to surreptitiously push Thomas Dennerby out by ensuring that he does not get what he wants in terms of players and coach he needs. While the rejection of retention of Coach Maureen Mmadu and the uproar it generated is yet to die down, this paper gathered authoritatively that this cabal who are from the NFF Women Department and the Secretariat of the Glass House, prevented the coach from extending invitation to Super Falcons combative midfielder, Rita Chikwelu to the Tokyo 2020 qualifier against Algeria.

A source who confided on this paper said that the move was very disgusting as the player, Rita is a cool-headed player and not the talking type. The source then wondered why she should not be invited to the qualifier.

“As I speak with you, Rita Chikwelu was to be invited to this match, but the people up there, who do not like her face, refused. They blocked the coach from extending invitation to her given excuse that she causes trouble in the team.

“I don’t know what kind of trouble they are talking about but the coach should watch it. Rita and Mmadu are not the targets because by the time they frustrate him in getting the coach and players he needs to prosecute his matches and he start losing games, they will be the first to call for his head,” the source said pleading anonymity.

When contacted, Rita Chikwelu said she was not aware of any move to block her from the national team adding that “I am in regular touch with the coach, if he needs me, he will invite me and as always, I will be glad to serve my country as I have done over the years.”