Former Nigeria international Maureen Mmadu has revealed she will prefer a female coach to handle the country’s senior women’s national team.
Search for a substantive coach for the senior women’s team continues for the Nigerian football body after the departure of Thomas Dennerby
Mmadu received 101 caps from 1993 to 2011 for the West Africans and became the only female player to reach the milestone, featuring at the Women’s World Cup four times and the Olympics twice.
She was named as an assistant to Thomas Dennerby in 2018 and they led the team to retain the African Women’s Cup of Nations in 2018 and reach the Women’s World Cup Round of 16 last year.
Since Dennerby’s resignation last September, the Nigeria Football Federation has been in search of a new substantive coach as the nation seeks to defend their African title.
When asked whether she prefers female or a male coach, the 43-year-old shared her preference, noting the players won’t be too comfortable with a male tactician.
“The players will function well if they have a female coach because she will be like a mother to them,” Mmadu told The PUNCH.
“There are certain things the players will like to discuss with her (female coach) that they won’t feel comfortable discussing with the male coach.
“For instance, if a player is having menstrual pains, she won’t be too comfortable to discuss it with a male coach. I was once a player, so I understand what it is like to be in that situation. The tendency of being open to a female coach is very high.
“It is the NFF’s decision to decide who they want to employ, but I know that they will employ who they want based on what the person can offer. I have worked with the NFF and I am sure that if they like my work, they will employ me.
“I am not against the federation going for a foreign coach or an indigenous coach. I coached outside the country and if I say the NFF should not employ a foreign coach, then I am being racist because I have been in Europe where I once played and coached.
“During my period there, no one faulted or racially abused me and I won’t do what they didn’t do to me there. They gave me the opportunity to express myself.”
The Super Falcons have been previously handled by women twice – Eucharia Uche [2010] and Florence Omagbemi [2016] and both ex-internationals won the continental title during their time.
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Source: Goal.com
