AS the Super Eagles get ready for their match against the Fennecs of Algeria in the 2018 World Cup qualifying series on November 12, the team’s Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, is being pressurised to include some players on the list of invitees for the remaining qualifiers.
Saturday Tribunesport gathered in Abuja that the pressure on the Franco-German is coming largely from some player-agents who want their players to be invited to the senior national team.
The agents, it was gathered, have been seeking audience with the technical adviser with a view to each showing him videos of the exploits of their players overseas or impress it on him on the need to invite certain players for the Eagles’ next games.
A source told Saturday Tribunesport that one of such agents openly boasted that his player, who is plying his trade in a central European country and is currently doing well in the country’s league, would be invited for the Algeria encounter.
“Many player-agents are mounting pressure on Rohr to invite their players for the Super Eagles’ remaining matches in the World Cup qualifying round. Some have been making moves to speak with the coach or those close to him with a view to convincing him to invite certain players.
“One of such agents recently openly boasted that he has completed all ground work to get a player [name withheld] invited for the match against Algeria next month. He even said he had shown Rohr the videos of the said player’s performance for his foreign club,” the source told Tribunesport.
He, however, cautioned the Eagles’ coaching crew to be wary of the so-called agents so that they would not derail the good work they had started in the ru-up to the Russia 2018 World Cup with team’s vital away win against Zambia this month.
“Rohr started his reign as Super Eagles Technical Adviser well. He had won the matches he was in charge of the team. Of more importance is the fact that he started the World Cup qualifiers on a winning note.
“In view of this, he and other members of the technical crew ought to be weary of these agents in order for them not to be clogs in the wheel of progress of the Franco-German like they did to his predecessors,” the source, who preferred to be anonymous, warned.
The source noted that Rohr has so far been successful because he was not sentimental in players’ selection for the two matches he was in charge, adding that once he succumbed to pressure he might be derailed.
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