By George Onmonya Daniel
The Nigerian Football Federation, Chairman, Amaju Pinnick, has always preferred a foreign to a local coach. In fact the Glass House revered foreign coaches without enjoying cordial relationship with local coaches in charge of the Super Eagles. Even after Stephen Keshi won the World Cup for Nigeria they were not comfortable with the Big Boss. Finally Pinnick got what he wanted, Gernet Rohr.
Coach Rohr won the first two World Cup qualifying matches, which were quite impressive and endeared him to the Nigerian fans, but his Super Eagles lost to South Africa in an African Cup of Nations qualification thereby dampening the spirit of Nigeria’s diehard supporters.
Now we are up against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, our biggest rival on the African continent and they are the champions of Africa. Cameroon may not be doing well but anytime they meet Nigeria, they sacrificed all it takes to beat Nigeria. This time, we are not just meeting; Nigeria is major obstacles to Cameroonians’ World cup qualification dream. The fact is that the current team may not be that known to us yet, capable of causing an upset, and this explains why Cameroon is African champions today.
The last week of August is a litmus test for Coach Rohr. His Super Eagles will have to do something special to beat Cameroon, at least in Nigeria. If the Super Eagles win one of the two encounters between them and Cameroon they would be celebrating participating in Russia 2018.
After losing to South Africa in Nigeria at the African Nation’s Cup qualifier, Rohr’s boys know what is at stake. Losing two games in Nigeria will not be good for them at all, most especially for the coach.
If Rohr loses this one, Nigerians would be calling for his head. Some football fans are already grumbling that he is not better than the local coaches. Beating the Cameroon or at least sharing the points with them both home and away will be good for him and nothing less than that would be unacceptable.
The good news is that if nothing bad happens again, Victor Moses and John Mikel Obi would be in the squad. The duo have shown that they are very much needed in the Super Eagle as their absence was clear during the African Nation’s Cup qualifier with South Africa.
Rohr should better start roaring.
