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Tag: Gernot Rohr

  • AFCON 2025 Qualifiers: We’ll try to beat Nigeria again – Benin Rep. coach, Rohr

    AFCON 2025 Qualifiers: We’ll try to beat Nigeria again – Benin Rep. coach, Rohr

    Former Super Eagles gaffer  and present Benin Republic head coach, Gernot Rohr has vowed to lead the Squirrels to beat Nigeria again when AFCON 2025 qualifiers begin in September, 2024.

    Recall the  Squirrels claimed a famous 2-1 victory over their next door neighbour Nigeria in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers last month.

    The two countries were drawn again in group D of  the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday.

    The AFCON 2025 draws were held on Thursday at the Super Sports studio in Johannesburg South Africa.

    Rohr, who managed the Super Eagles for six years is of the belief that his team can reproduce the result in the last game between the two sides in Abidjan.

    “It’s a difficult draw, because there’s Nigeria again. And we have Rwanda, an adversary that we know well and of whom we are wary. There is also Libya who have a good team, it will be a difficult trip there,” Rohr was quoted by the official website of Benin Football Federation.

    “Another reunion with Nigeria. That’s going to be three more games with them [including the upcoming second leg, counting for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers]. It’s a reunion against a very good team. But we gained confidence and we know we can beat them.’

  • 2026 WCQ: Rohr releases 26-man squad for Benin Republic, Super Eagles clash

    2026 WCQ: Rohr releases 26-man squad for Benin Republic, Super Eagles clash

    Ahead of the next phase of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, former Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, has released  Benin Republic’s team list  to face the Super Eagles of Nigeria in June.

    Nigeria will  face South Africa on June 7 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo before heading to A Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan three days later for a date with Rohr’s Benin Republic.

    The Eagles and the Squirrels were drawn  in Group C of the World Cup qualifiers and are set to face each other next month.

    Since taking over the Benin job in February 2023, Rohr has played 10 games, winning just one, drawing four, and losing five.

    Despite being the coach of the Super Eagles’ opponent Benin Republic, Rohr is bothered about the quality of Nigeria.

    “They are only two points behind the group leaders (Rwanda), and that is an advantage they can overturn in the next round. We cannot rule out a team with the quality of the Nigerian team. Every team in the group knows it.” He said.

    It would be recalled that the Super Eagles last qualified for the global football tournament in Russia in 2018 after they missed out on Qatar 2022 following a play-off defeat to eternal rivals Ghana.

    The squirrels are expected to leave Cotonou for Abidjan on Monday and train on the same pitch where they will face the Super Eagles.

    During his time in charge of the Eagles, which spanned five years, Rohr led the team through a total of 64 matches.

    He guided the Eagles to 35 victories, suffered 13 losses, and endured 16 drawn games.

    One of the highlight of his time in charge of the Eagles was a third-place finish at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

    Super Eagles could climb to the top of the group C if they win their next two qualifiers.

    All group leaders will automaticall qualify for the next world Cup holding in Canada, Unuted States, Mexico in 2026.

    There will be an opportunity for the overall best runners up in all the 9 groups to play World Cup play off later in the qualifying series.

    Africa will present 9 countries with an option of the tenth depending on the outcome of the play off.

  • AFCON 2023: Ex-Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr names better goalie between Uzoho, Nwabali

    AFCON 2023: Ex-Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr names better goalie between Uzoho, Nwabali

    Former Super Eagles head coach and current Republic of Benin gaffer, Gernot Rohr has picked the better goalkeeper between Francis Uzoho and Stanley Nwabali.

    Uzoho has been manning the post for the Super Eagles of Nigeria before the emergence of Chippa of South Africa  goalie, Nwabali

    Nwabali has been in goal for each of Nigeria’s three group matches against Equatorial Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau at the AFCON.

    The 27-year-old conceded one goal and has kept two clean sheets, while Uzoho is yet to play for Nigeria at the tournament.

    Speaking in a conversation with Osasu Obayiuwana, Rohr said Nwabali is better than Uzoho, adding that the South Africa-based keeper is calm.

    “I have to say that Nwabali Bobo is better than Francis Uzoho,” Rohr said.

    “He is calm and has very good control of his area.”

     

  • World Cup qualifiers: Gernot Rohr anxious to meet Super Eagles

    World Cup qualifiers: Gernot Rohr anxious to meet Super Eagles

    Former Super Eagles manager and current Benin’s national team coach, Gernot Rohr, has expressed his anticipation in clashes with the Super Eagles as the two countries prepare to face each other during the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

    The 2026 World Cup African qualifications placed Nigeria and Benin in Group C alongside South Africa, Rwanda, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe.

    Acknowledging Nigeria’s impressive record as three-time African champions and frequent participants in the World Cup, Rohr admits that they are the clear favorites in the group.

    However, the contest gains further intrigue as South Africa, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe will engage in a Southern African derby, while Nigeria and Benin will create a West African derby.

    “Benin fell into an extremely tough group, with obviously Nigeria as the favorite, a team we know quite well. But also the others, that is to say South Africa, already qualified for the next AFCON very early with a new state of mind,” the Franco-German technician told 24HauBenin.

    “Of course, there is also Zimbabwe, which has a very strong physical team, and Rwanda, which we know quite well. And then there is also Lesotho, a country we are familiar with because Benin has played against them.

    “It will be goals against South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho, which are geographically very close. As well as Nigeria and Benin, who are also neighbors. It’s really a group of people who know each other, making it an extremely technical and physical challenge.”

    Before he was disengagedl in December 2021, Rohr was Nigeria’s longest-serving head coach.

    Under his guidance, the Super Eagles secured a spot in the 2018 World Cup in Russia and achieved a commendable third-place finish in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

    Rohr expressed his eagerness to lead the Benin team against Nigeria and reunite with his former Super Eagles players. He hopes that Benin can give their best performance against the three-time continental champions.

    Rohr stated, “We hope that Benin can play a good role in this Group C, which is a very difficult and challenging group, but also very interesting.

    “Personally, I will have reunions with players in the Super Eagles squad. We will be keen to give our maximum effort against this great footballing country.”

    It is worth noting that Benin have never qualified for the World Cup and has yet to secure a victory against the Super Eagles in a competitive match.

    However, with Gernot Rohr at the helm, the Squirrels will aim to overcome these challenges and make their mark in Group C.

  • Again, FIFA orders NFF to pay ex-super Eagles coach, Rohr $378k compensation fee

    Again, FIFA orders NFF to pay ex-super Eagles coach, Rohr $378k compensation fee

    The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) has ordered the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to pay former Super Eagles gaffer, Gernot Rohr a compensation fee  for terminating the Franco-German  contract.

    Rohr was sacked by the NFF last December, a few weeks before the start of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Cameroon.

    Although NFF cited the Super Eagles’ poor performance in the qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup as one of the reasons behind their decision.

    The initial agreement between the NFF and Rohr was for the soccer house to pay the German until the end of his contract, which would expire in December 2022.

    The 68-year-old later went to FIFA to protest his unlawful termination by the NFF which he termed a contract breach.

    FIFA in its ruling added that the NFF would be sanctioned if Rohr is not paid in full within 45 days.

    “If full payment (including all applicable interest) is not made within 45 days of notification of this decision, the respondent [the NFF] shall be restricted from receiving a percentage of development funding, up until the due amounts are paid,” the body said.

    Gernot Rohr is a German professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of the Nigerian national team.

  • Why I gave Samuel Kalu his debut in Super Eagles-Gernot Rohr

    Former head coach of the Super Eagles,  Franco German , Gernot Rohr has named Bordeaux forward Samuel Kalu, as one of the best dribblers in Europe.

    Rohr made this revelation why explaining why Kalu has not been invited lately to the Super Eagles team.

    Kalu joined Girondins Bordeaux from Belgian side KAA Gent in August 2018 and made his national team debut the following month.

    Rohr confessed he gave Kalu his Super Eagles debut because Bordeaux asked for it to enable them to facilitate the approval of the young playmaker’s contract with the league authorities.

    Kalu earned all 17 international caps under Rohr, scoring two goals.

    Kalu has also been out of favour at the club level, managing just 11 appearances for Bordeaux before switching to Watford in January where he has featured in only four matches before they were relegated to the Championship.

    Rohr believes Kalu’s decline is because he played for coaches who did not show enough confidence in the player’s ability.

    “But Samuel Kalu was an excellent dribbler, one of the best dribblers in Europe. He had impressive dribbling stats. I think that, unfortunately, they didn’t know…,” Rohr told AquiTélé as per Girondins4ever.

    “There were also a lot of coaches. Kalu had still played quite a bit with Paulo Sousa at one point; then, I saw some good matches with Jean-Louis Gasset.

    “Then there was no longer that confidence, he needed to make a difference. He’s a sensitive player,” he added.

  • My worst moment coaching the Nigerian team- Rohr

    Former Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, has revealed his worst moment coaching the Nigerian team, Super Eagles.

     

    The German professional football manager said the highest governing body of football in the world, Fédération Internationale de Football Association, (FIFA) ordered the Nigerian government to pay him $377,879.46, after breaching the contract, yet it is still not done.

     

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) recalls that Rohr dragged the NFF before FIFA on a $1m compensation claim for unfair dismissal.

     

    Rohr pointed out that the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Amaju Pinnick, at the World Cup, said to the players in the dressing room after the match, that he is a great coach, one of the best coaches and two months later, he sacked him.

     

    “The worst day was when we were supposed to celebrate that we had qualified for the play-offs and we were called to say that we are sacked, unfair and painful. When we came Nigeria was 67 in FIFA rankings and 13 in Africa. When I left, Nigeria was 32 in the world and fourth in Africa.” he said.

     

    Speaking on how he felt when Nigeria exited at the group stage at the World Cup in Russia, Rohr said; “I was disappointed, but it was the youngest team of the World Cup. We all must accept this lack of experience in the last minutes of games and also, there were regrets because of the penalty, there was a clear handball for us and unfortunately, no second penalty (was given to us). After our last World Cup game against Argentina, we got many congratulations for the performances of our team, the youngest in the competition.”

     

    The former Super Eagles coach noted that members of his staff are still waiting for the bonuses for the last game they won together.

     

    Explaining how he felt about the Super Eagles performances at the 2021 AFCON and 2022 World Cup playoffs, Rohr maintained that, “I think we built a really good team that could have done better if we carried on with the momentum we had. I was sad for the players because they deserved better.

     

    “We were getting the desired results and we were not sluggish. We played attacking football scoring a lot of goals and having good goals scorers all the time, you know them, (Odion) Ighalo, (Victor) Osimhen and others. We created chances in all the games, even in the ones we lost or maybe drew. The most important was to get results and also to allow young players to progress and to learn.

     

    “Football is not a game of small or big teams; you can lose to anyone at any time. It’s a part of the game. Argentina lost to us in the friendly, Iceland lost to us in the World Cup, Brazil drew with us, and we played with a very young team, and they still had to learn. The (African) champions Cameroon lost to us in World Cup qualifiers and AFCON. There are so many examples.”

  • Former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr wins case against NFF

    Former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr wins case against NFF

    Former Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr has won his case against Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over termination of his contract. .

    Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) would pay a huge sum of $1,045,000 USD (about N 433,873,550.00) to German coach Gernot Rohr following his sacking as the Super Eagles gaffer, FIFA ruled on Monday.

     

    It was gathered that FIFA, had already ruled on the case with claims that the NFF had no ‘justifiable reason’ to have terminated the contract of the former Bayern Munich defender.

    As at December 2001 when he was fired, Rohr had a subsisting contract till the end of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup in December and was reportedly last paid his $55,000 monthly salary in May 2021 which means the NFF is owning him 19 months’ salary arrears aside other allowances including match bonuses amongst others.

    Though NFF claimed early this year that Rohr had been paid his accumulated wages in Naira based on the dictates of the fresh two-year contract he hitherto signed in 2020, our correspondent gathered that FIFA has mandated NFF that they must now pay all moneys due to the former Bordeaux player and coach in USD since he’s no longer domicile in Nigeria.

    Gernot Rohr is a German professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of the Nigerian national team.
    Born: 28 June 1953 (age 68 years), Mannheim, Germany
  • Gernot Rohr set to land Eagles job for AFCON qualifiers

    Gernot Rohr set to land Eagles job for AFCON qualifiers

    Former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr who was sacked shortly before the AFCON tournament has been shorlisted to tinker the Eagles of Mali

    The Franco-German gaffer has been linked with the vacant coaching role of the Eagles of Mali, few weeks after the dismissal of former coach Mohamed Magassouba.

    Although axed by Nigeria Football Federation for not playing entertainment football, Rohr is still regarded as one of the best coaches and highly experienced in African football.

    Other coaches listed are former Mali international, Eric Chelle, former coach of the Malian national team, Djibril Drame and AS Otoho coach, Alou Badra Diallo.
    Rohr became the longest serving Super Eagles coach for 5 years and few months after beating Clemens Westerhorf’s record of 5 years.

    The former Bordeaux manager had been linked with the Malian job in the past but said he chose Nigeria at the time.

    The Eagles of Mali is set to play AFCON 2023 qualifiers under the tutelage of a new gaffer and Gernot Rohr is highly favoured to land the job.

  • It was a big disappointment that Nigeria could not qualify for Qatar 2022 World Cup- Rohr

    It was a big disappointment that Nigeria could not qualify for Qatar 2022 World Cup- Rohr

    “It was a big disappointment that the team (Eagles) could not qualify,” said former Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr.

     

    He urged the sports ministry to probe the Nigerian Football Federation for Super Eagles’ inability to qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

     

    The Eagles were eliminated on the away goals rule following a 1-1 draw with Ghana in Abuja in the second leg of their play-off on Tuesday.

     

    The 68-year-old who was disengaged by the NFF last December in an acrimonious circumstance after a record-setting five years, four months and 10 days in charge of the three times African champions also queried why he was sacked last December.

     

    He was replaced by Austin Eguavoen who recorded four wins (against Coton Sports Garoua, Egypt, Sudan and Guinea Bissau), two draws (against Ghana in the World Cup playoff) and a defeat (to Tunisia at the 2021 AFCON round of 16) in the three months he was in charge of the team.

     

    Prior to his sack, the Franco-German qualified the Eagles for the 2018 World Cup in Russia as well two consecutive Africa Cup of Nations in 2019 Egypt and 2021 Cameroon respectively.

    In his words: “Nigeria had the better players, but it was not enough to qualify because they did not work collectively as a team. Those who are responsible for the team must be asked to speak about this disappointment and why I was sacked as well because I would have done better.

     

    “My compassion is with the players, the staff and all the fans who are so passionate. Qatar 2022 was our target since the last World Cup in Russia. For most of them, the World Cup in Qatar was their last chance to play.”

    “At least reach the quarter-final of the World Cup and give Nigerian football a good image as we had in the last five years.”

     

    Meanwhile, the NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi revealed that the federation could only be held accountable if it can be established that they failed in their responsibility to provide the enabling environment and logistics for the team to thrive.

     

    “There was nothing the team needed that was lacking. The Government provided necessary support; the NFF put all logistics in place. The truth is that we left nothing to chance. It is very sad that things turned out the way they did.

     

    “Sport is about winning and losing. Nobody wants to lose but sometimes it happens that way. We are quite sad that despite playing a draw in Kumasi, the Eagles could not win here in Abuja.