Rohr still in shock over sack

Gernot Rohr

Erstwhile Super Eagles head coach, Gernot Rohr, is yet to come to terms with his dismissal as gaffer on Sunday evening by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

He was replaced by ex-international and now technical director of NFF, Austin Eguavoen, in interim capacity, as Nigeria prepare for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which begins on January 9 in Cameroon.

Rohr believes he was able to make Nigerian talents grow in the game through exposure to international football.

“It’s hard to understand because I got along very well with all these young players that I launched and that I tried to improve. There were great deadlines to live,” the Franco-German tactician told French sports daily L’Equipe via girondins33.com.

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Rohr who spent five years and four month in the saddle to become the longest-serving Super Eagles’ gaffer, however, wished Nigeria the best at AFCON 2021.

“We leave a team with good chances for the future. I will miss the players and the staff but it’s perhaps better like that.

“It’s a huge frustration, but I don’t want to argue; it’s not my style,” Rohr told AFP.

“(I’m) convinced that they will have a very good CAN because the team is in place, and this very united group is ready for the challenges that await it.

“I’m going to have a hard time doing without these great players and this very united staff, but the environment is not always favourable; we cannot control everything.”

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The 68-year-old tactician said coaching the Super Eagles wasn’t easy for him given the environment he worked.

“I don’t think anyone could have stayed there as long as I did,” Rohr told Rheinpfalz.

“It wasn’t always easy, but it was extremely interesting.

“I am still proud that we have achieved everything we set out to do.”

Recall Rohr had coached Gabon, Niger, and Burkina Faso before his last appointment as the Super Eagles’ coach in August 2016 where he recorded 28 wins, 13 draws and 13 losses in 54 outings.