GERNOT Rohr apparently bears no grudges towards Nigeria in spite of his sacking as Super Eagles head coach.
The 68-year-old German’s appointment was terminated on Sunday, a full year before the end of his contract.
Rohr spent over five years as Super Eagles boss and led them to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and third place at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
He was also on track to taking the team to the 2022 World Cup but performances were poor and disjointed in the last few matches of his tenure, leading to discontent among Nigeria Football Federation officials and fans.
After struggling to reach an agreement with Rohr regarding his disengagement, the NFF finally took decisive action on Sunday to sack the German.
However, despite his interim replacement Austin Eguavoen coming to the helm less than a month to the kick-off of AFCON in Cameroon, Rohr has strong faith in the squad to deliver.
“It’s a huge frustration, but I don’t want to argue, it’s not my style,” Rohr told AFP regarding his sacking.
“I’m convinced they will have a very good Nations Cup because the team is in place, and this very united group is ready for the challenges that await it.”
Rohr was criticised for poor performances and results against lowly opponents during the World Cup qualifying campaign, including a 1-0 defeat by Central African Republic in Lagos, where the Super Eagles won only one of three matches.
“I’m going to have a hard time without these great players and this very united staff, but the environment is not always favourable, we cannot control everything,” Rohr added.
The Super Eagles are in Group D for the 2021 AFCON, which begins on 9 January, alongside seven-time champions Egypt, Sudan and Guinea-Bissau.
New Super Eagles interim head coach Eguavoen won the competition in 1994 as vice-captain and led them to third place in 2006 as head coach.
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