Former Green Eagles captain Segun Odegbami has launched yet another stinging attack on Gernot Rohr with claims that the Franco-German is neither a ‘world class’ coach nor the right person to lead the Super Eagles to global glory.
Rohr, 67, has been in charge of the Super Eagles since 2016, guiding them to a third-place finish at last year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt and also failed to lead the 3-time African champions beyond the group stage at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
On both occasions in Egypt and Russia, the legendary Nigeria player said Rohr showed he is ‘not the world class coach’ the country needs, and as such, should not be coaching the Super Eagles if Nigeria wants to become world-beaters.
Speaking in a virtual interview with journalists, Odegbami, a key member of Nigeria’s maiden AFCON-winning squad in 1980, insisted that the former Gabon and Burkina Faso coach is not fit for the Super Eagles job.
“I have expressed my opinion severally about Gernot Rohr, he may be a good coach, but what are his credentials? Where is he coming from?” he asked rhetorically.
“My belief is that anybody who would coach the Super Eagles now and make us a world-class team capable of winning the World Cup, must be a world-class coach.
“Gernot Rohr, who definitely heads the present technical crew, cannot deliver that. And he is not the world-class coach that we are looking for, without question.
“We have seen him work for four years now. And what we saw at two critical moments, two critical times in Russia and in Egypt convinced me that he is not the one to lead Nigeria to Eldorado.”
Rohr has overseen 49 matches (in friendlies and competitive matches) since taking charge of the Super Eagles on 9 August, 2016, recording 29 wins, 11 draws and 9 defeats.
The former Bordeaux coach was in May handed a new 2-year contract extension by the Nigeria Football Federation which will keep him on the job till 2022.
As part of the new deal, the ex-Bayern Munich defender has been mandated to win the next AFCON in Cameroon and also qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
