BY ANDREW EKEJIUBA
Super Eagles heart rendering performance at the ongoing qualifiers for Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup is one that is generating concerns and negative reactions from soccer fans cum stakeholders of the beautiful game in the country.
Example, in the past three home matches played by the team at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos, Eagles managed to win one, drew one and lost one.
Adding to its poor show, the squad scored paltry three goals, conceded two, thereby raising more questions from soccer analysts on the possibility of the senior national team of Africa’s most populous black nation surviving the fireworks at the final playoffs for the Mundial early next year.
To many nightmarish fans, the Super Eagles are in for a bumpy ride to Qatar 2022 such that all hands at this critical point of the qualifiers must be on deck to guarantee Nigerians a slot at the Mundial proper.
Taking a look at the fears expressed by many top soccer fans and stakeholders of the beautiful game in the country, the Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Kalu, did not mince words as he slammed the current coaching crew headed by Franco-German soccer tactician, Gernot Rohr, because of obvious reasons he enumerated.
Kalu affirmed that the once revered and feared team in the continent is technically and tactically deficient under Rohr whom he sees as not possessing the qualities of a coach.
He explained that it was because of this reason he personally refused to employ Rohr as Enyimba FC coach in 2003 when he was the governor of Abia State.
As if these were not enough, Kalu further stated with a tinge of regret, “I don’t see anything good in Gernot Rohr, he’s not a coach.
“Rohr is not a motivator to the players because he has nothing to offer; I can even motivate the players more than him because I’m a super motivator of my players.
“He is not a coach; I don’t see anything good in him; he has no stamina, no strategy, he doesn’t play any system and his team doesn’t excite me.”
Kalu who left no stone unturned and set a record till date in Africa by motivating Enyimba to win back-to-back the prestigious CAF Champions league in 2003 and 2004, opined that he will prefer a local coach for the Super Eagles as far as he will be paid well and allowed to do his job without any interference.
The sport-loving senator and African Pillar of Sports slammed Rohr and the coaching crew following the disappointing 1-1 draw the team played with Blue Sharks of Cape Verde in Lagos penultimate Tuesday. The outcome of that match exposed the three-time African champions who were once feared in the continent to a mere toothless bulldog that can easily be harassed by minnows in African football at their backyard.
However, the only good news that came out of the drabbed encounter was that the Super Eagles managed to secure a slot for the Qatar 2022 World Cup play-off scheduled for March year. Thus, they finished top of their Group C with 13 points, while Cape Verde were second with 11 points.
“Rohr has led the team in 54 international matches, which makes him Nigeria’s longest serving coach with no trophy to show for his long stay. In the 54 games handled, Rohr recorded victory in 28 of those matches; a tally many soccer pundits feel is below par going by the abundance of talents at his disposal
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Currently, Nigeria ranked No.5 in Africa by FIFA also joined Mali (10), Egypt (6), Ghana (7), Senegal (1), Morocco (3), Congo DR (13), Algeria (4), Tunisia (2), and Cameroon (9) to qualify for the playoffs.
Despite the calls by many Nigerians for the Nigeria Football Federation to sack Rohr, the football ruling body is not in a haste to do the needful.
To support NFF’s lukewarm attitude towards Rohr, a statement issued by Ademola Olajire, the NFF spokesperson, penultimate Thursday, emphatically declared there is no truth to reports that the NFF has sacked Rohr.
Prior to the NFF press statement, there have been widespread calls for the sacking of the 68-year-old coach, as the NFF president, Amaju Pinnick, explained there are procedures to be followed and such would be adhered to if the Federation decides to end its relationship with Rohr.
Pinnick stated that the board of the NFF is studying the report of the Technical Committee, which it submitted after the match against Cape Verde in Lagos.
His words: “There are a number of possibilities but we have not taken a decision to sack Gernot Rohr. I want to assure that whatever decision is eventually taken will be one that will please the generality of Nigerians.
“Rohr has a contract with the NFF and there is a procedure for disengagement. If we get to that bridge, both parties will look at the contract and see what has to be done both ways.
“The Super Eagles’ squad is a national asset and we are just fortunate to be in that space to take decisions. Any decision we take must be what will be acceptable to Nigerians from far and near.”
From the foregoing, it is nauseating to state that Rohr, the former Germany international defender now in his fifth year in charge of Super Eagles, has led the team in 54 international matches, which makes him Nigeria’s longest serving coach with no trophy to show for his long stay.
In the 54 games handled, Rohr recorded victory in 28 of those matches; a tally many soccer pundits feel is below par going by the abundance of talents at his disposal.
Also, the politicking in the senior national team has taken a dramatic twist as some of the key players of the Super Eagles have thrown their weights behind the embattled sinking coach.
In the local media, the quest and urgent need for NFF to do away with the services of Rohr is gathering storm as many of them see him as a scout or players’ agent than a coach.
Frankly, the nervy performance of the team and Rohr’s conservative approach to matches has been heavily criticised by the local media and fans alike who think Nigeria would have been eliminated if they had lost against Cape Verde. But still, the technically and tactically confused Rohr is enjoying the backing of his players.
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen told BBC Sport Africa after the ‘hypertensive’ game against Cape Verde that, “What’s important is getting to the next stage of the qualifying round, that’s what the target was and I’m proud we achieved that.”
Osimhen, who was one of the brightest prospects in a rather lethargic campaign, scoring four of Nigeria’s nine goals in Group C, believes the team has scaled the biggest test in front of them this year.
His words, “It’s not possible for me to claim the glory for our success, it takes a team to succeed and we all made a big impact.
“Sometimes you don’t need to focus on what should’ve been; instead you need to look at what you achieve – given the fact that it’s a competitive process to reach the World Cup.”
Also, Moses Simon, who plays for French club Nantes, felt delighted with the play-off spot and echoed Osimhen’s sentiments.
“We know our fans expect more from the team and we believe we can do more. The players have a role to play and hopefully we can continue to improve and make our fans happy,” he added.
The million dollar question is how far can the Eagles go in their quest for the Mundial ticket next year if they are left to continuously play in this dismal manner? How long?
Super Eagles assistant coach, Joseph Yobo, already has expressed his fears for Eagles by stating that it would be a disaster for African football if Nigeria’s Super Eagles faces Senegal’s Teranga Lions in the 2022 World Cup Play-off next year.
The former captain of the Eagles said that for the fact that Nigeria and Senegal are two great nations in Africa with great football potentials, if one of them misses out in the 2022 World Cup, it would be minus one for the continent.
The only saving grace is that from all statistical permutations it looks like Nigeria’s Super Eagles will not face the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Champions as well as finalists, Algeria and Senegal when the draw for the 2022 World Cup play-off is made in December.
The Rohr-led lads may not also face the likes of Morocco and Tunisia as well, but, they could battle Ghana, Cameroon, Egypt, Mali or Democratic Republic of Congo in the last qualifying stage which comes up in March 2022. This is where all hands must be on deck.
The 10 nations that qualified for the final stage of the qualifying series after they emerged winners of their various groups during the second round of qualifiers were concluded penultimate Tuesday across the continent and it is very pertinent that the Super Eagles must be rock-solid before the final playoffs.
Based on FIFA rankings, the first five teams, Algeria, Senegal, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia in that order are seeded teams ahead of the draw while the unseeded teams are Egypt, Mali, Ghana, DR Congo and Cameroon.
The seeded teams cannot be paired against one another in the play-off draw but they can face anyone from the unseeded teams.
The five seeded teams will be drawn against the five unseeded teams and the winners will qualify for the 2022 World Cup. Only five countries will represent Africa at the 2022 World Cup holding in Qatar later next year. And the draw for the final playoff for the Mundial will be conducted on December 8, 2021 while the matches will be played in March 2022.
In summary, it will be sad for Nigeria to miss out of the Mundial proper as it is the stand of this piece that the NFF must do the needful by sacking Rohr now and delivering the team into the hands of a well-tested and trusted soccer tactician who will tinker the Eagles to glory at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon early next year, qualify the team for the Mundial in March 2022 and take the world by storm in Qatar at the FIFA World Cup finals later in the year 2022.
Anything short of the aforementioned will be taking our beautiful game backwards since the inception of organized football in Nigeria in 1945.
A bumpy ride to Qatar 2022 is highly unacceptable to a country that has abundant and talented top class footballers plying their trades in top football playing nations across the world.
