Rohr Discloses Why NPFL Players Have Not Been Part Of His Super Eagles Plans

Super Eagles technical adviser, Gernot Rohr has revealed he won’t allow the pressure from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to invite new players from the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) to disrupt his plans for the team.

Last month, NFF President, Amaju Pinnick said in an interview on Channels Television that Rohr’s contract will only be renewed if he gives local league players more playing time in the senior national team.

Rohr took over the Super Eagles in August 2016 on a two-year contract which was renewed for another two years in January 2018. He took over a team that had failed to qualify for two consecutive AFCON tournaments and led them to two major tournaments (Russia 2018 and 2019 AFCON) with a game to spare.

He began his 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign on a winning note, beating the Squirrels of Benin and Crocodile of Lesotho respectively.

However, despite all these achievements, he has been criticized for not inviting more NPFL players to the Super Eagles.

But Rohr told Footballlive that he only consider players that are hungry and determined to make a difference in the team.

“They need to be consistent first and show me that they are good enough to compete with the players already in the team else it will be difficult as I won’t just invite a player to the team for just the cause,” Rohr revealed.

“We must try to find a perfect balance to ensure that we have the right blend and strength for every game. We invited one player recently for the game against Benin and Lesotho and hopefully, he maintains his form and also we are scouting for players who will add quality.”

The 66-year-old has not seen eye to eye with the top brass of the NFF in recent weeks. He has complained about several issues including delays in payment of his salaries. Rohr has managed 38 games in charge of the Super Eagles with 21 wins, seven draws and 10 losses.