NFF board, technical committee disagree over Rohr’s appointment

THE appointment of a new Technical Adviser for the Super Eagles, Tribunesport has learnt is not without its own intrigues as it was gathered on Wednesday that the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation and the technical and development committee of the NFF disagreed on the choice of Gernot Rohr as the new helmsman for the senior national team.

The committee last Saturday recommended the German to the board for the Eagles plum job after Frenchman, Paul Le Guen, had barely 24-hour after he was offered the job on July 18, 2016 turned down the offer.

Rohr signed a two-year contract with NFF on Monday in Abuja, while NFF President, Amaju Pinnick and General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, signed on behalf of the federation.

Tribunesport gathered that the chairman of the technical committee, Barrister Chris Green, had initially disagreed with the choice of the 63-year-old German to thinker the Eagles, preferring Tom Saintfiet instead.

According to a source close to the NFF, the choice of the former Gabon, Niger and Burkina Faso coach was the decision of the federation president, who was said to have been impressed with the developmental programme the former German defender was carrying out with the German Football Federation (DFB) and insisted on his invitation to Nigeria for discussions.

The source further informed that Green had wanted Saintfiet as he was one of the three initially shortlisted by the committee for the Super Eagles’ job. The others being Le Guen and Salisu Yusuf. Having appointed Yusuf as the Eagles’ Chief Coach, Green, according to the source, wanted Saintfiet for the job.

“The idea of appointing Gernot Rohr was Pinnick’s. He was the one who impressed it on the technical committee to give the man the Technical Adviser job. This led to a disagreement between him and Chris Green, who preferred that Tom Saintfiet be given the job,” the source stated.

He added that, “at the end of the day, the will of the President (Pinnick) eventually prevailed as Rohr was finally offered the job.”

However, a member of the committee who preferred anonymity confided in Tribunesport that every member of the committee, including Green agreed on the choice of Rohr for the job.

“We all agree on Rohr as the right man for the Super Eagles. There was no dissenting voice in the choice,” the member told Tribunesport.

Meanwhile, the NFF spokesman, Demola Olajire, dismissed the insinuation adding that the entire technical committee recommended the German for the job.

“It is not possible for one man to force his choice down other people’s throats. It is a board, and I believe that the President duly carried his members along on the appointment.

“The entire technical committee recommended the man,” Olajire told Tribunesport.