AFCON
It’s closing chapter in Gernot Rohr’s Super Eagles era
With 49 days to go before Super Eagles’ next assignment at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, the days remaining for Nigeria’s Super Eagles’ manager to stay on the saddle appear fast turning into hours.
Major Nigerian newspapers have reported that the era of the German coach may have become history.
According to Vanguard newspapers, Rohr’s fate has been sealed. The newspaper quoted an unnamed top official of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) saying that the football house was ready to pull the strings and see to the termination of Rohr’s contract.
“Rohr is gone,” our source continued, adding, “the decision has been made, what is left now is how to get his replacement without delay.”
The newspaper further revealed that the process to sack Rohr commenced on the evening of Tuesday, November 16, soon after the final group match of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier between the Super Eagles and the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde.
Although the encounter ended 1-1, with the Eagles securing qualification for the playoff in March, the performance of the team was nothing to write home about.
Most fans at the Teslim Balogun Stadium were left wondering whether Rohr was the right man to lead the Super Eagles to her fourth continental title and a ticket to the Qatar World Cup next year.
Vanguard revealed that in a move that was apparently swayed by the general mood among football fans and enthusiasts, top brass of the football federation summoned the coach for showdown talks. The meeting resulted in disagreement between the coach and his employers.
Another major Nigerian newspaper, The Punch reports that Rohr confirmed that the NFF had asked him to resign.
It is believed that the NFF cannot afford to sack Rohr because of the financial implications involved.
The source quoted by the Vanguard pointed out that the it was financial constraints that have stalled the sack of the coach.
The good news, however, is that the federation is intensifying effort to raise money to pay Rohr off. Rohr’s case is closed ,” Vanguard source concluded.
The newspaper also quoted former Nigeria international goalkeeper, Idah Peterside who is a sports analyst and pastor in South Africa as saying: “It is over with Rohr.”
The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has sacked its Serbian coach, Milutin Sredojević who is popularly known as Micho.
This is coming ahead of Libya’s back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations clashes with Nigeria next month.
Paradoxically, Sports Village Square gathered that the coach’s contract was only recently renewed for six months before the axe fell on the Serbian.
His sack was precipitated by the results obtained in their teo matches of the AFCON qualifiers.
Libya drew 1-1 with Rwanda at home and lost 2-1 away to Benin Republic despite beig a goal up at half time.
The Libyan side, Mediterranean Knights are due to play against the Nigeria Super Eagles in Uyo on 6 October while the return leg holds on 14 October at the 11 July Stadium in Tripoli.
According to information Sports Village Square gathered from Tripoli, the Mediterranean Knights’ coach, Micho led the Libyan national team to win nine matches since taking over in October of last year, he failed to build a strong team due to his poor choices.
He also took a risk with the footballers chosen in the AFCON qualifiers, and the result was shocking to the Libyan sports audience.
According to sources close to the Libyan Football Federation, there is a strong tendency to sign a national coach to lead the Libyan team during the remaining qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe has lashed out at Ghana and some other African countries whose home grounds were recently banned from hosting CAF matches owing to inadequate facilities. He made the remarks in Nairobi, Kenya during a press conference,
After the MatchDay 2 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, CAF ruled Ghana’s Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi as being inadequate to host international matches. Being the only approved ground in the country, Ghana will now look towards either Cote d’Ivoire or Togo for their remaining home matches of the Afcon qualifiers.
Other African countries without approved home grounds are: Djibouti, Chad, Niger, Eritrea, Gabon, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, São Tomé and Burundi.
Motsepe voiced his frustration over the recurring issue of nations being unable to host home games.
“Nothing frustrates me more than a national team or club side having to play home matches outside,” he stated.
He stressed the significance of playing in front of home fans, adding, “You can’t grow football if the national teams or club sides aren’t playing in front of their home fans.”
Motsepe reiterated CAF’s commitment to working with countries to ensure they have at least one suitable stadium to host international fixtures.
“Our conversations in every country are to make sure there is at least one stadium capable of hosting a CAF category C game,” he emphasized.
The on-going CAF AFCON Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Coaches Symposium in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire has brought together, the last three coaches that handled the Nigeria national football team.
Gernot Rohr, Jose Peseiro and Austin Eguavoen are part of the the elite coaches currently gathered in Abidjan.
Gernot Rohr whose tenure of 5 years and 55 matches is the longest ever by any coach in Nigeria, is currently handling Nigeria’s Africa Cupof Nations and World Cup qualifying rivals, Benin Republic. He was succeeded in the interim by Austin Eguavoen who is currently having another interim stint.
Peseiro left his position after the Africa Cup of Nations
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