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Tag: Gernot Rohr

  • Gernot Rohr likely to face Nigeria in World Cup qualifiers

    Gernot Rohr likely to face Nigeria in World Cup qualifiers

    Former Nigeria coach, Gernot Rohr, is among the candidates under consideration to become the next Ghana head coach, according to Ghana Web.

    Milovan Rajevac was sacked after the Black Stars were eliminated from the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

    Ghana finished bottom of their group, which had Comoros, Morocco and Gabon.

    It is the first time in their history they have failed to win at least one group stage match.

    The West Africans are now looking at Rohr, who managed the Super Eagles for five years.

    “Rohr is very much open to the Ghana job. Ghana football has great potential and his experience of the African game will help him steer the team in the right direction,” a source close to the coach said.

    “His knowledge of African football is deep especially with West African teams. Besides Nigeria, he also handled Burkina Faso and Niger. Rohr also had a stint with Gabon in 2017. He has the quality to handle the Black Stars,” the source added.

    If he takes the Ghana job, his first competitive match will be against his former employers in the 2022 World Cup play-offs in March.

  • Why I took over from Gernot Rohr – Eguavoen

    Why I took over from Gernot Rohr – Eguavoen

    Augustine Eguavoen has explained why he was appointed Super Eagles interim coach after Gernot Rohr was sacked in November.

    Rohr was dismissed after five years in charge of the Nigeria national team, weeks before the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations kicked off in Cameroon.

    Eguavoen, speaking with BBC Sport Africa, said as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) technical director, he had to step in before a permanent boss is hired.

    “Our former coach was relieved of his duties and it was just weeks before the Africa Cup of Nations.

    “As technical director, anywhere in the world that is what is obtainable. If there is a vacancy, it is the technical director that steps in before the coach has been appointed.

    “So that’s why you see me taking this role and an interim man,” he said.

    The NFF announced Jose Peseiro as the next head coach of the Eagles before AFCON 2021.

  • Ex-Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr breaks silence days after sack

    Ex-Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr breaks silence days after sack

    Gernot Rohr has criticised the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for sacking him as the Super Eagles coach, maintaining that the team’s performance under him was not below expectations.

    The German, who is Nigeria’s longest-serving coach, was fired earlier in the week following some unconvincing results with the 1994 African champions.

    But the coach has faulted the move, insisting that he met all targets set by the NFF upon his appointment in 2016.

    “It was not necessary to do this so close to AFCON,” he told ESPN, saying the team had chances to score more goals in their last two matches – against Sierra Leone and Cape Verde but were unlucky.

    “After what the team did, and after what the team had achieved with [reaching] the targets… but it happened, and we are realistic people.”

    According to him, the Super Eagles had become better since he took charge, citing the team’s improved FIFA ranking.

    Rohr said that he has built a reliable team since 2016 and tipped them for glory in next year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon.

    “Everybody knows that we are close to the AFCON, and I think this team should win it because this team is built to win matches, important matches, decisive matches,” he added.

    Beyond his sacking and the team’s performance, Rohr also refuted claims by the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, that he had lost the dressing room.

    He claimed that the football body had been planning to sack him over a year ago. This, he said, was the reason they brought in Austin Eguavoen to become a part of his crew.

    “The dressing room was 100% behind me,” Rohr noted and hoped that “it will also be 100% behind the new coach [Eguavoen]”.

  • Reactions trail sacking of Rohr as Super Eagles Coach

    Reactions trail sacking of Rohr as Super Eagles Coach

    The sacking of former Chief Coach of Super Eagles of Nigeria, Garnet Rohr, by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has continued to generate reactions by football stakeholders.

    The NFF announced the termination of the appointment of Franco-German Rohr who has been in charge of the Super Eagles for 64 months on Sunday.

    It also announced the appointment of Mr Augustine Eguavoen, currently Super Eagles Technical Director, as their Technical Adviser on an interim basis.

    Football buffs and other stakeholders who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Monday had divergent views.

    While some believed that the sacking of Rohr was ill-timed other said his sacking was long overdue.

    Judex Okoro, a sports journalist said Rohr’s sack was long-expected and that the widely travelled tactician had lost touch with modern football coaching.

    “The sacking of Rohr is long overdue because apart from his lack of vision for Nigerian football, he has since lost touch with the modern tactics.

    “For four years, he has not won any cup for Nigeria. He has not inspired the Super Eagles to play good football which we were known for, thereby making many Nigerians to lose interest in our national team,’’ he said.

    Okoro also charged Rohr of not doing anything to improve local talents.

    Another sports journalist, Isaac Oqua said Rohr’s sack was imperative because of his lack of a technical department.

    “He’s the longest serving Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles but with nothing to show.

    “He couldn’t develop a peculiar playing pattern for the team unlike his predecessors.

    “The standard of the team has nosedived under his watch.

    “He failed to follow the local league and by so doing couldn’t discover talents to groom for future,’’ he said.

    According to him, Rohr had no track record of achievements prior to his appointment as Super Eagles Head Coach

    In his contribution, Oqua Etim, former Chairman of Sports Writers Association, Cross River, said it was good to relieve Rohr of his duties since he did not do any better than indigenous coaches.

    “Before he came on board the impression was that, a foreign coach would develop our football and give it a different dimension.

    “Incidentally, since Rohr was given the job he has done nothing spectacular. He did not develop local content for our football, so, why keep him?’’ he said.

    Etim added that Nigerian football was known for its entertainment style which Nigerian football lovers enjoyed much “but this has not been the case since he took over.’’

    He gave kudos to Rohr, however, for improving Nigeria’s position in FIFA ranking.

    He advised NFF to look inwards for some local coaches that can handle the team instead of rushing for foreign coaches.

    A football fan, Emmanuel Udoh, however, said the timing of Rohr’s sack was wrong due to the forthcoming African Cup of Nations tournament slated for Republic of Cameroun.

    “To me I don’t say they should not sack him, but why now when we have upcoming Nations Cup’’? he said.

    Udoh argued that, the situation might affect the team negatively.

  • BREAKING: NFF fires Rohr, appoints Eguavoen interim Super Eagles coach

    BREAKING: NFF fires Rohr, appoints Eguavoen interim Super Eagles coach

    The Nigeria Football Federation has appointed Mr Augustine Eguavoen, currently its Technical Director, as the Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles on an interim basis.

    This is with immediate effect, and follows the termination of the relationship with Franco-German Gernot Rohr, who has been in charge of the three –time African champions for the past 64 months, and is Nigeria’s longest –serving manager.

    Following a virtual meeting of the NFF Executive Committee on Sunday, it was decided that Eguavoen will work with Salisu Yusuf (Chief Coach); Paul Aigbogun (Assistant Coach); Joseph Yobo (Assistant Coach); Dr Terry Eguaoje (Assistant Coach) and Aloysius Agu (Goalkeeper Trainer). Former Nigeria captains Augustine ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu and Garba Lawal have been appointed to provide technical and ambassadorial support for the crew.

    General Secretary of the NFF, Dr Mohammed Sanusi said: “The relationship between the Nigeria Football Federation and Mr Rohr has come to an end. We thank him for his services to the Super Eagles and Nigeria.

    “We also want to thank the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports for their collaboration and guidance all through.”

    Eguavoen, a former Nigeria captain, was coach of the squad when it finished in third place at the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt in 2006. He was on-field captain when the Super Eagles lifted the Africa Cup for the first time on away ground, in Tunisia 27 years ago.

    He will now take charge of the team as it begins preparations for the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations taking place in Cameroon 9th January – 6th February 2022, and until the appointment of a substantive Head Coach.

  • Jo Bonfrère applies to replace Rohr as Super Eagles coach

    Jo Bonfrère applies to replace Rohr as Super Eagles coach

    Jo Bonfrère could make a shock return to the Super Eagles after he formally submitted his application to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

    This was revealed by the Eagles’ former media officer, Colin Udoh.

    Udoh also claimed current handler, Gernot Rohr, is close to being fired by the NFF.

    Rohr’s job has come under scrutiny following a string of poor performances and results by the national team.

    The NFF is currently negotiating a pay-off with the German tactician, while they interview potential candidates.

    “The NFF is currently in the process of paying off current coach Gernot Rohr to terminate his contract while interviewing candidates for the job,” Udoh tweeted.

    Bonfrere is familiar with the Super Eagles, having served as the team’s coach on two occasions and as an assistant in another stint.

    He served as Super Eagles assistant coach under Clemence Westerhof at the 1994 World Cup before leading the Dream Team to the gold medal in the football event of the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.

    He left his role after the Olympics but returned in 1999 to lead Nigeria to a second-place finish at the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations.

  • Finidi: Why I don’t have confidence in Rohr’s technical crew

    Finidi: Why I don’t have confidence in Rohr’s technical crew

    Former Nigerian international, Finidi George, says he doesn’t have confidence in the Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr’s technical crew.

    Finidi said this in an interview with Channels Television.

    “We have yet to see the team play good football under the current technical crew, so I can say I don’t have confidence in the technical crew led by Gernot Rohr.

    “For the team to do well in Cameroon, they must function as a unit and not the individual brilliance we are seeing now.

    “The current Super Eagles team are not better than the set that finished third at the 2019 AFCON finals in Egypt.

    “I saw them against Sierra Leone when they conceded three goals in the second half, and they drew that game. All we have seen is individual brilliance, but they don’t function well as a team.”

    The Eagles are in Group D alongside Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, and Sudan at next year’s AFCON in Cameroon.

  • Rohr to consider some home-based players for World Cup qualifiers

    Rohr to consider some home-based players for World Cup qualifiers

    Gernot Rohr says some home-based Super Eagles will be considered for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers which will kick-off in September.

    The home Eagles were hammered 4-0 by Mexico in Sunday’s friendly played in LosAngeles, USA.

    They failed to muster any shot on target as the Mexicans dominated proceedings from start to finish.

    Despite the heavy defeat Rohr, speaking in the post-match press conference, stated that some of the NPFL stars will get a look in when the qualifiers commence.

    “I saw a wonderful game and we are happy to see football games with the fans. It was such a long time we had to play in empty stadiums and now it has come back to normal football, normal situation.

    “Mexico is number eleven in the world and they showed why. Our young team is the best professional players from Nigeria playing at home. They tried to so well, they learnt a lot and I saw some interesting players who could be part of the next World Cup qualifiers in September.

    “This match today, we learnt a lot and that’s why we are happy to see this match in this conditions like a normal football game.”

    The German coach spoke about the race for qualification to next year’s World Cup and tipped Mexico as one of the favourites for the Concacaf Gold Cup.

    He added:”In September we will have the World Cup qualifiers and we will start at home against Liberia on the third in Lagos and few days later we will go to Cape Verde for the second game.

    “We have a group of four teams and we have to finish first in this group and then progress to the play-off where we will play against any team from the other nine group.

    “t is a long way to the World Cup but today’s match has given me the idea of some of the local players can be part of some of these big games.”

    “We want to qualify for the World Cup like the last time and then meet teams like Mexico who showed how good they are with their movement, speed, fitness and technique. So it was a good lesson for our local players today and I think that Mexico are one of the favourites for the Concacaf Gold Cup.”

  • Rohr can’t take Super Eagles to next level – Amokachi

    Rohr can’t take Super Eagles to next level – Amokachi

    Former Super Eagles assistant coach Daniel Amokachi believes Gernot Rohr lacks the ability to take Nigerian football to the next level.

    He claims the former Bordeaux manager is yet to build a stable team and he does not have a game plan.

    When asked if Rohr is similar to Dutch manager Clemens Westerhof, who guided the Super Eagles to their second Africa Cup of Nations triumph and their maiden World Cup appearance in 1994, Amokachi told the Chat: “I’m one person that is not a fan of the coach, I’m not scared of saying it because I don’t think he has the ability to take our football for the next dimension.

    “He has been here for five, heading to the sixth year and we don’t even have a stable team. We keep flipping the players like pancakes without getting real dimensions, we don’t know how we play and we don’t know the formation we play, we watch the game and we don’t know how substitutions come about.

    “It is a shame.”

  • No new players to be invited for World Cup qualifiers – Rohr

    No new players to be invited for World Cup qualifiers – Rohr

    Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr said he is not expecting any new players in his team when the Nigeria national team start their 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign in June.

    Nigeria rounded up their qualification campaign for next year AFCON tournament, next up is the second qualifying round for the biggest football competition in the world where they have been pitched against Cape Verde, Central African Republic and Liberia in Group C.

    “The World Cup qualifiers will start soon and I think we will be able to do well, and we should expect good football again on a good pitch,” Rohr told the media.

    “We can’t try new players now, it is too late and it is getting more serious because it is World Cup qualifiers.

    “The Afcon qualifiers is over and we need to get the same result like in the World Cup qualifiers. We need to continue doing our job – the officials.

    “We thank Nigerians for their support even after the two draws (vs Sierra Leone). We had a lot of injuries and we saw three players in the first-leg in Benin City who went off in an ambulance – Osimhen, Balogun and Musa.

    “The record of our results is very good and I know we are unbeaten in all our away games in the qualifiers. It is a nice one and we have to continue to always be the best but sometimes we cannot always win all matches.”