No love lost as angry NFF cautions Rohr on incessant breaches of contract
The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, yesterday asked Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser, Mr. Gernot Rohr to explain reasons behind several breaches of the contract that he signed with the body, which forbids him to divulge to the public/media information on some aspects of the contract.
Speaking in Abuja, NFF’s Technical Director, Mr. Bitrus Bewarang accused the FrancoGerman coach of constantly making public issues which are not technical in nature, a practice the former Super Eagles assistant coach said is ‘highly unprofessional.’
“In as much as we appreciate the work that Mr. Rohr has been doing with the Super Eagles in the past 40 months, his recent penchant for breaching provisions of the contract he signed with the NFF and the Code of Conduct for coaches is not good for the relationship.
“The NFF wishes that Mr. Rohr continues in the job because of the team he is building for Nigeria which looks promising and has earned some good results since he took charge, but he cannot continue to nonchalantly cause the NFF as a body, and Nigeria as a nation, reputational damage through his utterances and actions,”
Bewarang said.
The winner of the 1994 AFCON with the Super Eagles also pinpointed Clause N of the Code of Conduct for coaches, which states that “coaches must not by their actions or inaction cause NFF or the Federal Government of Nigeria any harm, reputational damage or embarrassment, nor do anything directly or indirectly to undermine their contract with the NFF.”
In addition, Bewarang stated that Clause E of the same code says that “coaches must not misrepresent the NFF or distort information to the media. They are precluded from imparting unauthorized information to the media.”
It will be recalled that the coach of the Super Eagles in recent interview reportedly said that he is being owned $30,000 salary.
Interestingly, the NFF also acknowledged its indebtedness to the coach. “As at today, the only money that the NFF is owing Mr. Rohr is the differential in his new contract (about $30,000) which our financial advisors have to align and interface with AITEO before payment (as the improved contract came into effect in the last half of the year), and which process was concluded on Friday last week. He will soon be paid.”