April 21, (THEWILL) – Former coach of the Nigerian Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr, has filed a $1 million compensation claim with world football governing body FIFA, whose decision in the case is being expected by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
THEWILL recalls that Rohr was ousted in December, barely four weeks before the postponed TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations took off in Cameroon. His sack came on the heels of becoming Nigeria’s longest-serving manager, whose results did not please the country’s football-loving fans.
The NFF agreed to pay Rohr’s salary until the conclusion of his contract, which runs to December 2022, but he has now appealed to FIFA for an additional sum as compensation.
The NFF disputed his appeal for more, and a FIFA panel hearing Rohr’s damages claim finished last week. As at the present moment, neither party has received a decision from FIFA, which the NFF is awaiting to determine its next course of action.
Rohr, who had previously coached the national teams of Niger and Gabon, confirmed he was seeking compensation, saying: “Now this case is with FIFA and they will decide.”
Initially, between 2016 and 2018, Rohr was praised for rebuilding Nigeria’s competitive football spirit, but his jittery and uninspiring performances in recent years, as well as his cautious style, have been harshly criticised by the local media and fans.
Despite taking the Super Eagles to the 2022 World Cup play-offs and qualification for this year’s Nations Cup, he was chastised for poor results against lower-ranked opponents during the Qatar 2022 qualifying series.
Augustine Eguavoen took over for the Franco-German in December and was meant to take the Super Eagles to Cameroon for the AFCON before handing over to a new coach. Eguavoen previously led Nigeria to the 2018 World Cup and to a third place in the 2019 Nations Cup in Egypt.
In 58 games, Rohr led the West African nation to 31 victories, 13 draws, and 14 defeats before being sacked.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
