The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), during the week, did the needful by firing Franco-German coach Gernot Rohr and replacing him with Augustine Eguavoen, the NFF’s Technical Director, as the Super Eagles’ interim Technical Adviser.
The NFF announced Rohr’s contract was terminated on Sunday night, putting an end to almost a month of speculations after the Federation denied claims that the coach had been fired in November.
“The relationship between the Nigeria Football Federation and Mr Rohr has come to an end,” the NFF said in an official statement. “We thank him for his services to the Super Eagles and Nigeria.” the official statement read.
Why was Rohr sacked?
Rohr, who took over as manager of the Super Eagles in August 2016, was frequently criticized for his decisions on and off the field.
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The 68-year-ability old’s has been questioned on multiple occasions with many Nigerians believing he lacked the necessary abilities to lead one of Africa’s premier football teams.
His case was also not helped by the Super Eagles’ recent stuttering results in the AFCAN and World Cup qualifying series. One of such was a four-goal lead blown against Sierra Leone in the AFCON qualification series. Despite being the country’s longest-serving coach, Rohr was unable to exploit the country’s wealth of talented players.
The Super Eagles failed to reach the heights that were expected of them as a team.
During his term as coach, the squad lacked a distinct style of play and ceased to be a force on the continent. Rohr qualified the Eagles for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in his five-and-a-half years with the team.
He also led his team to a third-place finish at the 2019 African Football Confederation (AFCON) in Egypt, but that was not enough for a nation that expects nothing less than the best from Super Eagles.
Who is Eugavoen?
Austin Eugavoen is a former professional footballer who served as the captain of the Nigerian Super Eagles during his playing days. Having served on an interim basis before, he moved on to coach both in the Nigerian league and abroad. He was part of the coaching setup that guided the Super Eagles to an AFCON bronze medal in 2006.
What can Eugavoen do better than Rohr?
Eugavoen was an intelligent player whose reading of the game and poise with the media made him a natural for management.
Cerezo, as he is fondly called, has developed a real stature as a gaffer. His technical acumen would help the team develop a distinct style of play, which they have lacked in the last couple of years under previous management.
The former Torpedo Moscow defender has guided the team to moderate success in the past. His experience will help take the current setup further in the upcoming competitions.
The coaching setup is just as important as the head coach. Eugavoen has a complementary personality and experience with the coaching setup. This will come to play in handling a fiery dressing room and help make the team a force to reckon with again in upcoming competitions
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