Former international, Tajudeen Disu, is saddened by Coach Gernot Rohr’s continued disregard for home-based players, who are billed to face Mexico in an international friendly in the United States on July 3. Unlike the team made up of overseas-based players, Rohr will not lead the Super Eagles to the clash with Mexico.
Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) Technical Director, Austin Eguavoen, is currently preparing the home-based Eagles for the international friendly, with some members of Rohr’s backroom helping the former Eagles captain in the task.
Speaking with The Guardian during the week, Disu wondered why Rohr would refuse to handle the home-based Eagles in the friendly against Mexico, saying the same attitude played out at the last two friendlies against Cameroun when the German overlooked the home-based players.
“In the two friendlies Super Eagles played against Cameroun in Austria, I expected Rohr to test the two home-based players in his squad since the matches were friendlies, but he did not do that. Rohr refused to use Enyimba’s John Noble in any of the two games, while he brought in Anayo Iwuala for a few minutes in the second half.
“Rohr is comfortable featuring players from Cyprus’ leagues, Hungary and some countries, where their leagues are barely known to us. And our NPFL players, who are supposed to be the foundation of our team, are relegated to the background.
“In the goalkeeping position, for instance, we have seen Maduka Okoye in action likewise Francis Uzoho. So, the question you ask yourself is why is Rohr denying us the chance to see Noble also in action? I expected to watch Iwuala start one of the games to prove to us why he was picked ahead of others from the NPFL. The NPFL boys were not given that chance even in a friendly situation because Rohr thought differently,” he said.
Disu, who is the welfare officer of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN), added, “I wonder what type of contract Rohr signed with the NFF. When the Home-based Eagles play Mexico on July 3, the team will be addressed as the Super Eagles of Nigeria and not the other way round. It baffles me that Rohr does not want to take responsibility by coaching the team.
“In a country where you find square pegs in round holes running our football, that is what you experience. And this is why you see what is also happening today in our domestic football. In a situation where you have politicians running sports in the country as against the technocrats in other climes; you are bound to experience this kind of situation.
“I have always said that we don’t need politicians to run football or sports in its entirety in this country. Rather than formulating policies to better the lives of footballers, all they think is what goes into their pockets.
“What we are experiencing today in the Super Eagles is that politicians, who don’t have sports management attributes, are destroying the careers of these innocent NPFL players. They allow football agents to force their players on the Eagles. These agents bring their poor quality players to play for Eagles in place of talented home-based stars,” he stated.
Follow our socials Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google News.
