Former Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr has revealed he avoided an early sack during his time with the Super Eagles because of the interference of former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Mr. Sunday Dare during the national team training.
Rohr, who turned 70 on Thursday, recalled that the Super Eagles were training for their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sierra Leone when Mr. Dare entered the field to join the players.
The German coach, who is currently in charge of the Cheetahs of Benin, admitted that he nearly resisted the request of the Minister’s participation which could have led to an early sack before he was finally dismissed in December 2021.
During an interview with Bayern Munich, Rohr said: “Two years ago in Nigeria: suddenly, the Minister of Sports showed up at the training with 40 or 50 journalists and wanted to participate.
“I was perplexed. My assistant told me that we had to let him participate; otherwise we would all be sacked the next day. Without further ado, we organized a rondo for him, and everything went well.”
Rohr was at the helm of the Nigeria nationalteam from 2016 to 2021 and he guided the West African country to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, and the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations where they finished third.
