Ex-Valencia Coach Hector Cuper Gutted As NFF Moves To Stick With Rohr

Ex-Valencia Coach Hector Cuper Gutted As NFF Moves To Stick With Rohr

By Admin

The age-long dream of Argentine coach Hector Cuper to one day manage Nigeria’s national team, the Super Eagles, may have to wait a little longer.

This follows the latest move by the Nigeria Football Federation to stick with Coach Gernot Rohr as the country’s national team manager.

Cuper’s Egyptian-born assistant, Mahmoud Ahmed, disclosed exclusively to PREMIUM TIMES that Hector’s agent Alejandro Camanõ was waiting to pounce on Eagles’ job should Rohr opt to part ways with Nigeria.

Mahmoud revealed that Nigeria and Ghana were Cuper’s countries of interest adding that the Argentine was ready to accept a pay cut to tinker Super Eagles after his effort to manage Ghana’s Black Stars failed to materialise with the appointment of Charles Akunor by Ghana Football Association (GFA).

The former Valencia and Egypt coach is now a free agent after he was sacked by Egypt FA last June.

“Mr Cuper is ever ready to work in Africa with Nigeria and Ghana as countries of preference because of its abundant talents,” Mahmoud said.

“We had hoped to land Ghana job but GFA decided to close its door on foreign coaches and settled for Charles Akunor. Our attention was shifted to Nigeria and we felt salary problem between Rohr and Nigeria might be a problem.

“But its looks impossible now that Nigeria have decided to extend Rohr’s contract,” Mahmoud concluded.

The NFF President Amaju Pinnick has always indicated that a long list of indigenous and foreign coaches were waiting in the wings if Rohr fails to accept the new terms in his contract.

Some of the new clauses in the new proposed contract for Rohr include he receiving a pay cut as well as his salary being paid in local currency.

Except for a last-minute U-turn, Rohr is expected to officially sign his new contract next week.

The German-born tactician is expected to be handed a new two-year contract.

In his new spell, Rohr will among other things be saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that Nigeria not only qualifies for her seventh World Cup finals and the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon but also surpass the feats it recorded in Russia and Egypt.

Rohr, 66, has been in charge of the three-time African champions Nigeria since 2016.

The former Niger and Gabon coach led Nigeria to the 2018 World Cup in Russia and ensured Nigeria won a Bronze medal at 2019 Africa Cup of Nations staged in Egypt.