Sports
2021 AFCON: Rohr Rates Eagles Group High
Coach Gernot Rohr has admitted that the Super Eagles work is cut out at next year’s Total/Energy African Cup of Nations (AFCON) Cameroon 2021 after Nigeria was drawn last Tuesday’s night against Egypt, Sudan and Guinea Bissau in Group D.
The 68-year-old German said the three-time AFCON winner, Nigeria must be Teutonic to withstand the tournament’s most successful team and seven-time winners, Pharaohs of Egypt as well as Sudan and Guinea Bissau.
“Yes, we have a tough group,” the former Burkina Faso and Gabon national team coach said matter-of-factly immediately after the draws were held at the Yaounde Conference Centre. “Egypt, everybody knows and wanted to avoid but it is okay.
“We have Sudan with a French Coach (Hubert Veuld) who is a personal friend and who has really done a good job since he arrived there and qualified for the AFCON from a difficult group and of course, Guinea Bissau is not going to be easy.”
Yet, the former Bayern Munich defender was quick to add that the Super Eagles can navigate their section and proceed to the next round with good preparation ahead of the 24-team tournament to be hosted in Cameroon between January 19 and February 6, 2022.
“We would be very well prepared, “assured Rohr whose side defeated Egypt 1-0 in a pre-2019 AFCON final international friendly in Asaba before they finished third at the championship held in Egypt.
“We need to be ready especially for the first match against Egypt on January 11th at the Roumde-Adjia Stadium in Garoua and tomorrow(Wednesday), we are going to visit Garoua because we understand it’s very hot and humid there, and it might not be easy for the Europe-based players coming from the winter cold in January,” he added.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.