18th November, 2021
Sen. Orji Kalu, former Governor of Abia State, has urged the Chairman of Nigerian Football Federation, Mr. Amaju Pinnick, to sack Super Eagles’ Gernot Rohr.
Orji’s message came after the Eagles reached the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifying play-offs despite being held 1-1 by the Blue Sharks at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.
After the game, Gernot Rohr admitted “We were too slow from defence.
The coach added that “Our central defenders took too much time to bring the ball out of the defence.”
However, Orji Kalu, in a statement released on Thursday, said Rohr is not a good coach.
The ex-governor, however, demanded an immediate replacement for Rohr.
Read Orji Kalu’s full statement below
In the last five years, we have wasted our time in football. There is nothing new we are doing any longer. To see a country with many professional players home and abroad struggling to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup is heartbreaking. Gernot Rohr is not a good coach and I don’t understand why he is still managing Super Eagles.
When I Was Governor, he applied to become employed as Enyimba coach. He was brought to Nigeria by Oscar Udoji but I refused to employ him. I am calling on the Chairman of NFF, Mr. Amaju Pinnick to wake up and to quickly find a replacement for Rohr.
We, soccer lovers, don’t need further dissatisfaction in a game, we have the capacity to make ourselves proud.
If the problems you have this year are the same problems you had last year, then you are not a leader. You are rather a problem on your own that must be solved.
Gernot Rohr
Rohr was appointed head coach of the Super Eagles in August 2016.
After 5 years, his major achievement was a third-place finish at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
The German’s conservative approach and Super Eagles’ uninspiring performances have been heavily criticized by the media and supporters.
However, multiple reports stated that he could be sacked today.