Gernot Rohr May Quit As Super Eagles Coach - Latest Sports in Nigeria

Gernot Rohr May Quit As Super Eagles Coach

By Ayoola Tope

The coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Gernot Rohr, may quit as the coach of the team and the reason is about the renewal of his contract. His current contract ends in June 2020. He said late last year that if his contract is not renewed before the end of December, then he's free to discuss with any other country that want him as coach. Although the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) is interested in renewing his contract, but according to unconfirmed reports, some of the clauses in the new contract may cause Rohr to quit and leave.

As reported, 3 main clauses inserted in the new contract are;

1. Rohr would start paying tax from his monthly pay.
2. He will start living permanently in Nigeria.
3. He will start submitting his list of invited players to NFF technical department for approval before the list is released.

While Rohr seem not to have problem with the first clause, the second and third is the bone of contention between the Eagles gaffer and the NFF.

It was reported that Rohr made a valid case for himself and argued that almost all his players are based in Europe, and him staying in Europe made it very easy for him to travel around to see them and it saves cost too, and he finds it easy to have one-on-one talk with them and even meet with their club managers for discussions as regard his players, which the players love so much. The NFF want Rohr to start staying in Nigeria and to start going around to watch Nigerian League matches. Although, it seems Rohr don't have problem with this.

Now the real problem is the third clause. Reports have it that the NFF said Rohr would start submitting his list of invited players to the Technical Committee of the NFF for approval. But Rohr was said to vehemently oppose to this. "As long as I am the head coach of this team, no one will be allowed to interfere with my right to decide who is invited to the team and who plays for the team”, Rohr told Opera News.

I completely agree with Rohr on his non-interference stance on invitation and selection of players. If Rohr quits, Nigeria may be back to square one on the gains made by the coach on the rebuilding of the Super Eagles. Rohr has changed a lot of things in the team and his man-management skill is topnotch.

What are your thoughts?