Nigerian Football
PINNICK EXPLAINS WHY ROHR GOT CONTRACT EXTENSION
President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Melvin Pinnick has explained that the resolve of the Federation’s leadership to ensure there are no distractions of any size or complexion around Nigeria’s 2018 FIFA World Cup preparation and participation informed the offer of a fresh, two –year contract to Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr.
Franco-German Rohr, signed by the NFF in August 2016, has met the first milestone of his contract, which is qualifying the Super Eagles for a sixth FIFA World Cup finals. Nigeria thoroughly overhauled a so –called Group of Death, spanking 2012 AFCON winners Zambia home and away and earning four points from home-and-away clashes with fellow 2014 World Cup finalists Cameroon and Algeria. Second –placed Zambia finished six points behind the Super Eagles.
“We have decided to confront head-on any possible area of conflict or controversy, and fully resolve each and every possible friction point well ahead of the competition.
“After signing the agreement on payment to the team from expected FIFA income, the next stage was to take care of the Technical Adviser. He has done very well and does not need to go into the World Cup uncertain of his future,” stated Pinnick.
The 64 –year old Rohr, a former Germany defender, flaunts a sterling record with the Super Eagles, winning seven of 12 matches and drawing four in his 15 months in charge so far. His only loss was the 0-2 reverse to South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in a 2019 AFCON qualifier in Uyo in June 2017.
Under him, the Eagles have beaten Tanzania, Zambia (twice), Algeria, Togo, Cameroon and two –time world champions Argentina, and drawn with Senegal, Corsica, Cameroon and Algeria.
Following the 1-0 defeat of Zambia in Uyo on 7th October that guaranteed Nigeria’s place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, Rohr, whose qualifying squad has been declared the youngest of all 32 finalists, told thenff.com: “I love working with this group. I am delighted being at the head of such a wonderful, level –headed and ambitious squad.”
After signing a two –year contract with the NFF last year, Rohr told thenff.com: “I have a German heart – the heart of a winner.
“I have confidence that with the right atmosphere and the right support, the Super Eagles have the capacity not only to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, but to get to the latter stages of the competition.”
ROHR’S RECORD
03/09/2016: Nigeria 1 Tanzania 0 (AFCON Qualifier, Uyo)
09/10/2017: Zambia 1 Nigeria 2 (WC Qualifier, Ndola)
12/11/2016: Nigeria 3 Algeria 1 (WC Qualifier, Uyo)
23/03/2017: Nigeria 1 Senegal 1 (Friendly, London)
27/05/2017: Corsica 1 Nigeria 1 (Friendly, Ajaccio)
01/06/2017: Nigeria 3 Togo 0 (Friendly, Paris)
10/06/2017: Nigeria 0 South Africa 2 (AFCON Qualifier, Uyo)
01/09/2017: Nigeria 4 Cameroon 0 (WC Qualifier, Uyo)
04/09/2017: Cameroon 1 Nigeria 1 (WC Qualifier, Yaounde)
07/10/2017: Nigeria 1 Zambia 0 (WC Qualifier, Uyo)
10/11/2017: Algeria 1 Nigeria 1 (WC Qualifier, Constantine)
14/11/2017: Argentina 2 Nigeria 4 (Friendly, Krasnodar)
Nigerian champions, Enugu Rangers have been beaten 4-3 by visiting Kano Pillars in the Match Day 7 of the Nigeria Premier Football League.
The visitors went into the lead in 15th minute when Rabiu Ali converted a penalty kick. They doubled the lead in the 28th minute through Zulkifilu Rabiu before Rabiu Ali extended the lead to 3-0 in the 37th minute after converting another penalty kick.
The game turned into a nightmare for Rangers as Ahmed Musa made it 4-0 in the first minute of the added time.
Rangers began a fight back in the opening minutes of the second half as Isaac Saviour pulled a goal back in the 47th minute. Twelve minute later he scored a second goal to reduce the tally to 4-2. Emmanuel Silas Nenrot made the score line a more respectable for Rangers when he scored a third goal in the added time.
The miserable run of Akwa United and Ikorodu City came to an end after six games in the Nigerian Premier League this season. Both teams were initially glued at the bottom of the league table.
They now got respite as Akwa United beat Kano Pillar by 2-0 while Ikorodu City even did what could be considered an upset, beating Bendel Insurance 3-0.
Remo Stars bounced back to the top of the log after a 3-0 defeat of Nasarawa United. Shooting Stars are yet to get their rhythm this season, playing a barren draw with Enyimba in Ibadan.
Kwara United who got their first full points of the season last week after a 1-0 defeat of Remo Stars could not consolidate as they were beaten 1-0 by Abia Warriors.
Heartland under Emmanuel Amuneke are gradually recovering as they got a valuable away draw against El-Kanemi Warriors.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 75 years since Nigeria’s national football team first played an international match. That was on 8 October 1949 when the first set of Nigeria’s assembly on their return voyage stopped over in Freetown and engaged Sierra Leone in an international football match. Nigeria won 2-0, setting a chain of positive results on 8 October.
The country never lost any competitive duel on that date. More significantly, the Super Eagles first qualified for the World Cup on an 8 October date.
That was in 1993 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in the quest for USA ‘94 World Cup.
Nigeria became the first English-speaking African country to qualify for the World Cup. Another significance of the October 8 match at the July 5 Stadium, Algiers is that Nigeria were unbeaten for the first time by Algeria at home.
The only deviation from the 8 October Magic was in 2015 when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Congo in a friendly match.
Twenty-six years after Nigeria’s debut international match, one of Africa’s biggest football nations, Egypt fell to the October 8 magic, losing 4-0 to Nigeria in the last stage of the triangular World Cup qualifying series for Argentina ’78.
Up till October 15, 2013, when Ghana beat Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, the October 8, 1977 duel with Nigeria remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying match.
Before the 1977 duel, Nigeria in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The October 8 magic was active, even in an away match. Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. It was shortly after the team had, through a protest, upturned a victory by Guinea to pick Nigeria’s very first African Nations’ Cup ticket.
Little wonder then that when FIFA suspended Nigeria in 2010, the world governing body provisionally lifted the ban on October 8!
Nigeria on 8 October
- 1949 – Freetown (Friendly) Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
- 1963 – Monrovia (Friendly) Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- 1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
- 1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria… qualify for USA ‘94.
- 2005 – Abuja (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
- 2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect to the 8 October magic, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
- 2011 – Abuja (African Nations Cup qualifier) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea. Although undefeated, Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 African Nations Cup.
- 2015 – D.R. Congo beat Nigeria 2-0 in Visé, Belgium. The ‘October 8 Magic’ is finally broken.
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