Why Nigeria is stuck with Rohr even though he can’t make Eagles fly

BY CHRIS OGUGUO

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is stuck and unsure of what to do with Gernot Rohr, the Super Eagles coach. The German has been in charge of the team since 2016 and while the initial results – and performances perhaps – signaled hope, much has changed since then, and depending on who you believe, he is already out of the job. Or maybe not.

By May 2020, when the NFF decided to extend their relationship with Rohr with a new contract offering, signs of cracks had already emerged: fans were getting fed up with the coach’s ultra-conservative approach to games, which usually see the Super Eagles put up insipid displays even when they could easily have been much more ambitious; and not forgetting the ‘currency controversy’, where the NFF insisted on converting his salary to naira, as against being paid in US dollars, which was the case in the first contract.

At the time the new contract was offered and signed, there was enough evidence to dissuade the NFF from extending the relationship but curiously though, they went ahead.

Over a year later, the ‘Glass House’ is stuck with a coach they no longer want, but who they cannot sack because they cannot afford to pay off the remainder of his contract and a possible penalty fee for wrongful termination which is reported to be around $2million. This has now forced the NFF to ask the German to consider resigning his position but why would he, though?

Rohr’s contract doesn’t elapse until the end of December 2022, by which time he would have overseen the Super Eagles’ participation at another Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and possibly another World Cup. Added to the $45,000 he reportedly earns every month, why would he voluntarily resign? There are more than enough incentives for him to stay on. So, where the NFF cannot afford to come up with the severance package, there would be no sacking of the former Burkina Faso coach.

AFCON 2022 to the rescue, then?

While there is clearly no incentive for Rohr to resign his position at this point, and the NFF seemingly lacks the financial requirements to fire him, there could be a silver bullet for them. Reports suggest that in the contract signed last year, there is a ‘release clause’ where the NFF could terminate the agreement (and pay a significantly reduced sum) should Rohr fail to lead Nigeria to the final of the AFCON next year or fail to qualify the team to the World Cup in Qatar.

The World Cup playoffs don’t come until March of next year, meaning Nigeria will go to the AFCON next January with the same coach and if there is such a release clause in the contract, then it means the NFF would only be able to get their wish if the Super Eagles do not reach the final of the AFCON.

The NFF angle – incompetence or indecision?

Questions must be asked of why the NFF chose to extend Rohr’s contract last year when the easiest thing to do would have been to shake hands and say goodbye. Despite boasting a strong group of players since his arrival, the team’s performances have mostly left a lot more to be desired and Rohr’s seeming lack of ambition has only made things worse. The 2018 World Cup and AFCON in 2019 are good case studies.

That World Cup remains a sore point considering that the Super Eagles could and should have progressed beyond the group stages with a win against a hapless Argentina in their final group game but tactical miscalculations and Rohr’s general lack of ambition ensured that Nigeria played second fiddle to a misfiring Albiceleste.

And while they won the third-place final at the AFCON the following year, the overall performances betrayed a team that could and should be doing better but had stagnated instead.

So, the NFF had enough reason not to offer Rohr a new contract and interestingly, the NFF president, Amaju Pinnick, had suggested at the time that they would be moving on from the German, but they did not. Despite all of that, why was he offered a new deal? Curious.

What next?

Well, the NFF can either wait and somewhat hope that Nigeria never makes it to the final of next year’s AFCON in Cameroon, or they meet the financial obligation that is required to end the relationship and this includes paying a penalty for wrongful termination.

Presently, it doesn’t seem like the NFF can afford a severance package for the former Bayern Munich defender and are now almost certainly stuck with him till February 2022 at the earliest.

Chris Oguguo can be reached via chrisoguguo1@gmail.com