Nigeria's German coach Gernot Rohr watches his players during a training session at Essentuki Arena in southern Russia on June 23, 2018, during the Russia 2018 World Cup football tournament. / AFP PHOTO / PIUS UTOMI EKPEI
Former Super Eagles Coach, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde has urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to review Gernot Rohr’s contract and compel him to live in the country to develop the nation’s football at all levels.
Onigbinde noted that the present system in which the NFF hires foreign coaches for only competitions and not for developmental purposes would continue to affect the level of the country’s football development unless steps were taken to correct the anomalies in their contracts.
Drawing from the recent coaching contracts signed by Emmanuel Amuneke with Tanzania Football Association and Clarence Seedorf with the Camerounian federation, Onigbinde stated that the deals spelt out that the coaches would live in the respective countries, build solid national teams for their employers and also develop football from the grassroots.
The former FIFA and CAF instructor posited that Rohr would fail to develop Super Eagles for the future if he continued sourcing for established players born overseas to win matches for him.
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He stressed that all Nigerian talents, whether foreign or local based, should be given equal opportunity to develop, adding that all football stakeholders should come together to fashion out ways to change the fortune of the country’s football.
“I am tired of speaking on Nigerian football. At 80, I don’t think I should be a job seeker, but the truth needs to be told.
“Rohr approach to the Eagles’ job is because of the latitude the NFF gave to him.
Employing a coach for competitions and not development would not take Nigeria anywhere.
A nation cannot excel if football is not developed at the home front.
“How can Rohr deliver when his employer’s allow him to stay outside the country, come in when there is a game, assemble foreign-based players and leave after the game.
“A country like Cameroun knows what it takes to develop football and gave their new coach the mandate to stay in the country and work with all the teams,” he said.
He regretted that Nigeria failed to deliver at the just concluded Russia 2018 World Cup because of mistakes that would have been corrected if the coach spent more time with then team.
“Nigeria conceded four goals in three matches based on one single individual mistake, which is marking error.
This error and other anomalies are fundamental errors that need to be taught from the grassroots in modern football.
“We need credible coaches to grow our football.
If the NFF wants Rohr to develop Super Eagles for the future, they should make him develop our players and not focusing only on winning competitions,” he said.
Source: G Sport
