SUPER EAGLES, ROHR AND RUSSIA 2018
Since 24th
February 2016 Sunday Oliseh resigned as the Head Coach of the Super Eagles, the
technical committee of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) had been
relentlessly in search of an astute personnel that would fill the vacuum, till
Friday 5th August when the Amaju Pinnick-led NFF announced the
appointment of Gernot Rohr as the new Technical Adviser of the team.
It would be recalled that prior to the recent
appointment of Mr. Rohr as the Chief Coach of the Nigeria’s national team,
several individuals, both indigenous and foreign, to include Samson Siasia,
Paul Le Guen and Salisu Yusuf, had been contracted to man the team. Siasia who
was appointed following Oliseh’s resignation, though on an interim basis, was
shown the way out owing to his inability to qualify the team for the
forthcoming African Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be hosted by Gabon in 2017.
Subsequently, in July 2016, the NFF
pronounced the appointment of the French 52-year-old football tactician – Paul
Le Guen as the Head Coach of the Super Eagles, only for the appointee to
reportedly reject the offer, perhaps due to inability of the board to consent
to some sensitive demands. Following the contract failure, Salisu Yusuf was
asked to man the team for the time being, till penultimate month when the new
masquerade was unveiled.
Hence, the appointment of the 63-year-old
German, Gernot Rohr as the new substantive manager of the Super Eagles was long
overdue. However, his appointment has been greeted by mixed feelings. Some are
of the view that he was not qualified for the job, whilst others saw no reason
an indigenous coach didn’t deserve the honour. In his words, the Ex-FIFA and
CAF executive member, Amos Adamu has unequivocally stated that Nigerian soccer
would not get better under the tutelage of the German. According to Adamu who
is a past sole administrator of the NFF, the new coach ‘who is relatively
unknown’ lacks the pedigree to coach the team.
Rohr who was contracted for a 2-year term
at $47,000 (about #18 million) per month, is a former footballer. Until his
appointment, he was working with the German Football Federation (GFF) on
developmental programmes. In ’96, he managed Girondins Bordeaux, France to the
UEFA cup final, where they lost to Bayern Munich. From October ’98 to April
’99, he was the sports director of Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany. In 2009, he
was the head coach of the FC Nantes of France. In 2010, he was in charge of
Gabon national team. In September 2012, he became the manager of Niger national
team, and resigned in October 2014. In 2015, he was the Technical Adviser of
the Burkina Faso national team till in 22nd December 2015 when he
was sacked. Furthermore, in July 2016, he was shortlisted for the Guinea national
team job.
Since Nigeria won’t make it to Gabon come
2017, what currently matters to any Nigerian football enthusiast is for the new
coach to ensure that the Super Eagles’ absence wouldn’t be equally felt in
Russia come 2018 for the next FIFA World Cup. Thus, the Russia 2018, expected
to take place between June 14 and July 15 2018, ought to be seen as the prime
target of the new Super Eagles’ boss. Though he has already stated that he
would ‘make the Eagles fly again’, I beg to believe more in actions.
In the qualifying stage of the said
global tournament, Nigeria who is in Group B is grouped alongside Algeria,
Cameroon, and Zambia. History has it that the aforementioned three teams have,
ab initio, been reckoned to be among the best African national teams, till
date. Suffice it to say that the highly revered Super Eagles are placed in a
tight corner as regards the ongoing search for a ticket that would guarantee
their presence as well as participation in the quadrennial event. It has been
adjudged that the team is in ‘Group of Death’.
The first official outing of the new
manager took place on Saturday 3rd September 2016 in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom
State during the match between the Super Eagles and the Taifa Stars of Tanzania
as the remaining AFCON 2017 qualifying fixture, in which both teams played
merely for pride considering that the Pharaohs of Egypt has won the only ticket
at stake in the group. Although the Eagles defeated the opponent, it’s
imperative to acknowledge that Rohr has an enormous task ahead. The defence and
the attacking midfield need to be strengthened headlong. And the team must be properly
trained for teamwork rather than individual performance.
On Sunday October 9, the Chipolopolo of
Zambia would be hosting the Eagles for their first outing in the qualifying
round. Obviously, the days away are too short. It’s noteworthy that the awaited
outing would contribute in determining the fate of the Eagles, thus is meant to
be taken very seriously by the management of the team.
Regarding availability, I suggest, the
coach should focus more on indigenous players rather than the foreign ones. On
this note, he must endeavour to watch the remaining crucial matches of the
2015/2016 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) to enable him select
better legs that can compete against the Zambia. Similarly, he mustn’t rely on
one goalkeeper due to contingencies.
Moreover, Gernot Rohr needs to watch
virtually all the past matches of the Eagles in a bid to make consequential
amendments. The NFF, on its part, must not trivialize match bonuses of the
players and coaches toward avoiding apathy among them. The time might be short,
but if well planned, Super Eagles will surely fly again. Think about it!
Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor
(TheMediaAmbassador)-Public Affairs analyst & Civil Rights activist-
Chief Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research
& Career Development - Owerri
_____________________________________
frednwaozor@gmail.com
Twitter:
@mediambassador
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