• No matter how emotional and disappointed the fans are, there’s no basis to sack him now
Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has urged the Nigerian Football Federation to take a bold decision on Gernot Rohr if the Super Eagles downward slide continues, Sunday PUNCH reports.
The Eagles recent draws against Sierra Leone in a 2021 Africa Cup of Nation qualifier has put to question the technical competence and commitment of Rohr to the team a top official in the ministry revealed.
“The Eagles is Nigeria’s biggest football brand which cannot be toyed with. If Rohr fails to meet the expectations of millions of Nigerians, then we will have no choice but to do the needful,” a ministry source who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Sunday PUNCH.
“The NFF must be ready to take the bull by the horns instead of hastily defending Rohr.
“This poor result trend should not repeat itself, otherwise we shall review the entire team set up.
“The Super Eagles represent more than 200 million people, they wear our national colour and sing the national anthem.
“They don’t represent any individuals or federation, but the entire country.
“The aspirations of millions of Nigerians cannot be mortgaged by an individual or small group of people.”
The sports ministry’s new position is coming on the trail of NFF President Amaju Pinnick’s defence of Rohr.
Pinnick had told the BBC “Nobody is happy about what happened against Sierra Leone in both matches. But it is not enough to sack the coach because his team is still top of the Nations Cup group after four matches.
“His statistics speaks volume for him, so on what indexes do we want to sack him considering the contract recently signed by both parties.
“No matter how emotional and disappointed the fans are, there’s no basis to sack him now and he deserves to keep his job.”
