Emma Jemegah

A former board member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Fan Ndubuoke has insisted that for the federation to be serious in its resolve to enforce belt-tightening measures, it must start with the sack of Super Eagles’ Coach, Gernot Rohr.

The NFF recently held a crucial meeting, where far-reaching decisions were taken on the best ways to sustain football development in the face of the harsher economic downturn necessitated by the Covid-19 Pandemic and the free fall of oil price.

But Ndubuoke, while commending the football governing body for being proactive contended that Rohr’s proposed new contract is still bogus enough to constitute a hiccup in the overall financial plans of the NFF to reduce cost through austerity measures.

Part of the decisions reached included the mandate handed to the president and general secretary to cut down expenses from all areas possible and enforce belt-tightening measures in the running of the federation, to ensure the federation operates only within the framework of guaranteed revenue.

The board also mandated the general secretary to submit a revised budget for the federation for the year.

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“I must confess that this is the way to go. However, I sincerely think the NFF’s proposal of a new contract with Gernot Rohr cast a dark cloud on the lofty plans of the federation to keep football alive.”

“Though, Rohr’s proposed new contract may have slashed his pay, but it is still bogus enough to constitute a hiccup in the overall financial plans of the NFF to reduce cost through austerity measures.

The immediate past executive chairman, Imo State Sports Commission argued that since the arrival of Rohr, the Nigerian league had taken a nosedive in terms of production of quality players, occasioned by the coach’s refusal to give the players look in.

“This is destroying our domestic game, which coaches before Rohr used as breeding and recruitment ground for top European clubs. Rohr has failed to impart on the like of local coaches working with him in the past few years. No league can improve with such coaches who learn nothing from their supposed superiors or principals,” he said.

“I think, it is time for Rohr to go. It is time for the NFF to maximise the opportunity that his exit will present in the face of NFF’s quest to implement austerity measures to keep football alive. Enough of running rounds a circle all in the name of a race. No one advances in a race running round a circle.

“NFF should be bold enough to take the bull by the horn and do the needful which is appointing an indigenous coach for the Super Eagles,” he said.