Pinnick: Super Eagles Were Heading for Disaster with Rohr

Femi Solaja

Chiefs of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) yesterday threw more lights on why Super Eagles Head Coach, Gernot Rohr was sacked after 64 months on the job.

Speaking on Channels Television yesterday, President of the NFF, Amaju Melvin Pinnick insisted that his board took the decision to ease out the German gaffer because the Super Eagles were heading to a disaster at the next AFCON starting in Cameroon on January 9.

“We sacked Rohr to avert disaster waiting to happen,” began Pinnick who is both CAF and FIFA executive committee member.

The German Coach was hired five years ago when the country’s football was in crisis and similarly left in the middle of another when the three-time African champions started to struggle with minnows in African football like Central African Republic, Cape Verde and Liberia.

”It wasn’t an individual decision. It was a collective decision from the executive committee and we didn’t want a disaster to happen before taking that decision,” stressed the NFF President.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles next competitive games will be against Egypt, Sudan and Guinea Bissau at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

“He (Rohr) happens to be the longest serving manager of the team and we gave him all the support but the last two games played were very tough for us as we were at the brink of elimination from the World Cup,” recalled Pinnick of the clashes with Liberia and Cape Verde.

“We were winning games but there were lots of things we took into cognisance so after pathing ways, there is no point to start ascribing blames for what happened or did not happen. You just let it go and face the future with renewed hope and zeal,” he spoke philosophically.

Pinnick admitted that the NFF was still owing the sacked coach some months of unpaid wages but lack of discipline among the players was one of the major setbacks for Eagles.

“We did everything that we could, but one major factor was that discipline in the team was practically lost in the dressing room.”

He also revealed that discipline in the team was at its lowest ebb. “So the moment you remove discipline, it is a clear sign that the foundation on which the team was built has cracked,” the NFF board further noted.

“A situation in which players now talk back at you because they believe that they are indispensable is clear sign of danger. “

Pinnick restated that the NFF was owing the players and coach but not the exaggerated figures in the social media space.

“We are only owing about two matches of all the games they played in both AFCON and World Cup qualifiers.

“For Gernot Rohr, I know we paid him for about five months. We were owing him for a couple of months, then we cleared about five months,” he concluded.