Super Eagles’ Coach, Gernot Rohr has confirmed that he will be at Agege Stadium, Lagos today to watch the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) match between home team, Mountain of Fire & Miracles (MFM) FC against Rangers International of Enugu.
Although Rohr was set to arrive back in Nigeria yesterday, the Franco-German gaffer said he will get busy barely 24 hours later, as he wanted to quickly set in motion his plans for the Eagles’ next match.
Sports247.ng gathered that Rohr’s first public appearance on his return from yuletide break would be at The Temple of Soccer, where he promised to monitor home-based players, then visit another venue this weekend.
Rohr affirmed: “I will attend the league games. I will definitely watch the Wednesday league match between MFM and Enugu Rangers.”
NPFL watchers will see this as a great boost to the chances of home-based players being part of the Eagles’ last match in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on March 23.
The Eagles had already qualified for the 2019 AFCON, with a match to spare, such that fans believed Rohr should use the upcoming tie against Seychelles to try out some NPFL players, since nothing would be at stake.
It would also be the opportunity for Rohr to confirm that he has a mind for players in the domestic championship, and prove wrong, those critics, who said he had no intention of looking at the home front.
Rohr had in November 2017 parried arguments that he did not want to use home-based players, as he disclosed that, since taking over the Eagles’ job in 2016, he had invited 20 players from the domestic league.
He, however, pointed out that home-based soon become foreign-based players after they were invited to the national team, with a hint that some agents bank on their wards to get invitations before taking them abroad.
The Franco-German gaffer disclosed: “I do not know if some agents and scouts are always waiting for us to invite the home-based to the Super Eagles camp or playing them before taking them to Europe. No less than 10 out of the 20 that I have invited are in Europe.”