Perform or get fired, NFF warns Rohr
Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has revealed there are clauses in Gernot Rohr’s new contract which gives his employer the right to fire him if he underperforms.
On Wednesday, the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick confirmed the 66-year-old has been handed a new deal and explained he has been given the mandate to win the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and qualify the Super Eagles for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Dare explained the Franco-German’s contract was renewed to enable him to prove himself but should he fail to meet his target he would be fired.
“For Rohr to have come in, he must have been world standard,” Dare said in an interview with NTA’s Executive Discourse as reported by Punch.
“With the conditions we have put in, I think it’s only fair to let him continue if he has accepted, but then again, we are going to warn him [Rohr] to a great standard of responsibility, a greater depth in our football and a greater level of success.
“In that contract, there are points that if he does not meet the desired standard, we can terminate his contract. So we are not stuck with him. He has an opportunity to prove himself.
“Even if we bring in the best coach in the world, we will set the same standard for him, and if those expectations are not met, we will show him the door.
“We will let this play out, he has also made promises that things will get better and I think we will just wait and see what happens eventually.”
Nigeria international Chibuzor Okonkwo on Friday revealed that the targets set for the 66-year-old are achievable, given the array of stars at his disposal.
“He has been doing well and I believed he has a good team which can win trophies for Nigeria. He deserved to continue to be in charge of the Super Eagles,” Okonkwo told Goal.
“Winning the Africa Cup of Nations title is not a tall dream because nothing is impossible and I believe Rohr can do it for Nigeria.
“He needs to bring in more experienced players to the team, although the present young players at his disposal are doing well, but he needs to blend the team to make it competitive.”
Rohr, who led the Super Eagles to a third-place finish at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, however, claimed Nigeria are not the best in Africa as such it would be difficult for him to win the 2021 Afcon tournament in Cameroon.
“When you go to a tournament it is to win it. We finished third in the last one and everybody wants to progress but we know also that it is very difficult to win this tournament because we are not number one in Africa. But it is good to have these milestones and ambition,” he said.
read also:Rohr will remain as Super Eagles coach, Pinnick confirms
Nigeria currently sit atop Group L of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with six points after victories against the Republic of Benin and Lesotho.