Sports
Don’t Sack Rohr Now – Ikpeba
Member of Nigerian Football Federation Technical Committee, Victor Ikpeba, has kicked against the sacking of Gernot Rohr with less than 48 days to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, insisting that the move will be a disaster.
Ikpeba made this known in an interview with newsmen on Monday
Rohr came under heavy criticism again following the Super Eagles’ underwhelming performance in their 1-1 draw with Cape Verde at the Teslim Balogun stadium last Tuesday.
Ikpeba, however, advised that the NFF be patient with the 68-year-old till the end of the AFCON before taking a decision on his future.
“It is less than 48 days before our first game against Egypt at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations,” Ikpeba said.
“The speculation about his sack has been intense and I’m really surprised. I know what happened in 2002 and in 2010.
“Rumour of people going to the sports ministry and the presidency calling for Rohr to be sacked.
“Rohr has done the needful, qualifying the Eagles for the World Cup playoffs.
“Yes, we were not brilliant against Cape Verde but he has done the needful.
“Why not wait till after the AFCON and take a decision on his future. It will be a disaster if that happens now.
“If you sack Rohr and employ another coach, if the team fails at the AFCON, who takes the blame?
“What will the new manager change. What changed in 2002 and in 2010. It was a disaster.
“This will happen again if Rohr is sacked now.
“My worry is that we forget history and we should not. Those who sacked the late AmoduShuaibu twice said he was not good enough.”
“Gernot Rohr has been too soft with the players, the NFF can help him.”
Meanwhile, Tidesports source gathered that Salisu Yusuf maybe asked to take charge of the team in a temporary capacity should Rohr be sacked.
Yusuf, 59, was also a caretaker coach before Rohr was appointed in August 2016.
He has been involved with the national team setup since 2008, first with the Flying Eagles and holds a CAF A licence.
The former Kano Pillars and Enyimba coach, who has served out a year’s ban for receiving cash from undercover journalists, has always backed himself to lead the Super Eagles.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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