Former Super Eagles coach to become new handler of Benin national team

The Squirrels have been without a substantive handler since sacking Frenchman Michel Dussuyer from the role in 2021

Former Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr is set to become the technical adviser of the Benin national football team.

According to German publications Mannheimer Morgen (via Berliner-Zeitung), Gernot Rohr will fly to the Benin Republic in the coming week to negotiate and sign a contract.

After searching for a head coach, the Benin Football Federation reportedly decided on Rohr because of his decent work with Nigeria’s national team.

Rohr recorded 35 wins and 16 draws in 64 games while on the Nigerian technical bench for five years before he was sacked in December 2021.

The German tactician is the longest-serving manager in the country’s history, helping the three-time African champions claim the bronze medal at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

He was the fifth German coach to lead the Nigerian national team after Karl-Heinz Marotzke, Gottlieb Göller, Manfred Höner, and Berti Vogts.

Before taking up the Nigerian job, Rohr previously managed Burkina Faso, Niger, and Gabon.

If the agreement with Benin sails through, Rohr will take over from Moussa Latoundji, who had been the team’s caretaker coach since Frenchman Michel Dussuyer was sacked after Benin failed to qualify for the 2021 AFCON and 2022 World Cup.

Rohr’s immediate target as Benin coach will be to guide the Squirrels to the finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

It could be a difficult one as the tiny West African nation sits bottom of Group L after losing their opening two games against Senegal and Mozambique.

Last year, Gernot Rohr was heavily linked to the head coach role of the Mali national football team, but the Eagles decided on Éric Chelle instead.