The German-born Frenchman was relieved of his duties as the handler of the Nigerian national team on Sunday, but he looks back without regrets
Sacked head coach Gernot Rohr has revealed that he enjoyed his 64-month stint with the Super Eagles and that he is proud of his exploits and achievements with the three-time African champions.
Hired in August 2016, Rohr was in charge of the Nigerian national team for five years and four months before the NFF terminated his contract, which was expected to run until December 2022.
While at the helm of affairs, the former Bordeaux manager steered the 2013 Afcon kings to 35 wins, 16 draws, and 13 defeats in 64 matches.
During that period, the Rohr-led Eagles became the first African side to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and secured a third-place finish at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
When signing a new contract in 2019, Rohr was given two new targets of guiding the team to win Afcon 2021 and qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The Eagles sealed qualification for Cameroon 2021 despite failing to beat Sierra Leone across two legs. And the team made it to the final qualifying round for Qatar 2022, despite losing to the Central African Republic and forcing the Cape Verde Islands to a draw in Lagos.
Despite being on course to meet his contractual obligations, Rohr was sacked on 12 December 2021.
But the German gaffer, the longest-serving Super Eagles coach in history, is convinced he did very well with the African giants and had a team ready to challenge for the Afcon title.
“I don’t think anyone could have stayed there as long as I did,” Rohr told Rheinpfalz.
“It wasn’t always easy, but it was extremely interesting.
“We have built a young team that can win the Cup. It was wonderful with them (the team and the staff). But there were problems with the others.
“I am still proud that we have achieved everything we set out to do.”
While Rohr had a good working relationship with most of the Super Eagles players and staff, he was often the subject of criticisms from journalists and former internationals.
