Rohr’s rumoured link to Ghana should not worry Eagles, says Obuh 

Former Flying Eagles Coach, John Obuh, has dismissed fears raised by some football fans over the rumoured romance of immediate past Super Eagles’ Coach, Gernot Rohr, with Black Stars of Ghana.

Ghana sacked Coach Milovan Rajevac following the Black Stars’ inability to go past the group stage of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. Among coaches touted to be in contention to take over the Ghanaian job is Rohr, who was sacked by Nigeria on the eve of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Nigeria is billed to meet Ghana in the last qualifying round of the Qatar 2022 World Cup on a home and away basis in March.

Reacting to the concern expressed by some fans, who feel that Rohr knows Nigeria inside out and will put such knowledge to Ghana’s advantage if he becomes Black Stars’ coach, Obuh said the Super Eagles have better players than the Black Stars, adding that with adequate preparation there is nothing any coach can do to give the World Cup ticket to Ghana in Nigeria’s stead.

He urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to name the substantive coach for the Super Eagles now to give the manager enough time to prepare for the matches, stressing that the World Cup qualifiers will not be easy for the country.

Obuh advised the NFF to ensure that majority of the players that played at the Africa Cup of Nations, as well as those who were denied clearance by their clubs, are put on notice early for the matches.

“Rohr is free to take the Ghana coaching job and it will not affect Super Eagles in any way because the coaches that are handling the team now are organising the squad differently from the way he coached them.

“There is no secret in the Eagles that Rohr can use against Nigeria. Football is all about team unity and game tactics. In football, a coach playing against his former team is never a treat.

“The present Super Eagles team just need to be focused and correct the lapses they exhibited against Tunisia in Cameroon.

“If the coaches can ensure the strikers stop wasting chances and teach the players how to handle opponents when the key players are marked out, the Eagles are good enough to take on any team,” he said.

Obuh advised the NFF to treat Ghana with caution, saying their early exit from the ongoing AFCON in Cameroun has made them eager to get back to reckoning by qualifying for the World Cup.

He added: “Super Eagles will not have an easy ride against Ghana, and so, the team need to be focused and kept together.

“Eguavoen should be allowed to handle the Eagles since he took the challenge of taking the team to the AFCON within a short time notice and proved he could do the job by winning all the group games.

“I believe the team’s defeat by Tunisia in the round of 16 has taught him some lessons, which will be useful during the qualifiers.”