BREAKING: Gernot Rohr Confirms Super Eagles Extension

Gernot Rohr has finally put pen to paper on a two and a half year deal to remain as head coach of the Super Eagles.

The 66-year-old Franco-German confirmed the development on Friday bringing an end to drawn-out negotiations with the Nigeria Football Federation the ugly parts of which often played out in the press.

Rohr who was first appointed as manager of the three-time African champions in 2016 will now remain at the helm until after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The deal which features diminished financial terms, as well as stringent provisions requiring Rohr to live in Nigeria and develop domestic-based players was agreed last month.

“I am happy to confirm that we have come to an agreement to continue my work as head coach of the Super Eagles for the next two years and a half,” the former Bordeaux manager said in a statement made available to busybuddiesng.com.

“I want to say thank you to the Nigeria Football Federation led by President Amaju Pinnick, the Board and of course the General Secretary for their confidence in me to continue in this job. It is not common to have a country with the same national coach for what will be 6 years and this will be made possible because of the support of the federation, the government of Nigeria and our team.

“We have a big project in front of us. We have the quality and with the continued cooperation of everyone concerned Including the fans and good people of Nigeria, I believe we will have a good result that will spell great development for football in Nigeria in the future.”

If Rohr sees out his contract, he will become the longest-serving national team head coach since Dutchman Clemens Westerhof and would hope to be as successful as Westerhof who led Nigeria to a second Nations Cup title in 1994.

The former Gabon coach has been fairly successful in his time in charge of the Super Eagles and led the African powerhouses to the group stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and a third-place finish at the 2019 African Cup of Nations in Egypt.

He has also overseen an overhauling of the team achieving an exciting blend of youth, promise and experience while also encouraging the integration of foreign-born players into the national team.

He will be expected to not only qualify Nigeria for the 2021 AFCON – the Eagles currently lead their qualification group – but also land a fourth continental title with the Super Eagles.

With expectations high about the potential of the current crop of national team players, Rohr would also be expected to guide Nigeria to their best-ever position at a World Cup after securing a berth in Qatar.

Since taking charge of his first game against Tanzania on 3 September 2016, Rohr has overseen a total of 40 matches, winning 23, losing nine and drawing eight games.

The Super Eagles have also scored 61 goals and conceded 34 in his time in charge.