Rohr must justify Super Eagles fans’ expectations
Clubs fault LMC’S plans to end season prematurely
YOUTH and Sports Development Minister, Sunday Dare, has reminded Super Eagles Coach, Gernot Rohr that Nigerians expect much from him following the new contract he got recently from the Nigeria Football Federation ( NFF). The minister, who said he was not averse to the contract extension, insisted that Nigerians must get results if the German coach must stay as the country’s head football coach. Speaking at the weekend, Dare said: “The Nigeria
Football Federation ( NFF) is statutorily in charge of the growth and development of football in Nigeria; of course under the supervision of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Even before I became minister, there were processes and procedures that were followed to bring on a new national coach or renew the contract of a coach, who is already in the house and I think it was important for us to follow the processes and procedures in place.
“For Rohr, because he had been signed on earlier, he deserved to be given the right of first refusal, that was what the NFF did and that was what I also allowed to happen. It is best practice, it is global practice, but the NFF also had a review of his performance in the last three to four years and based on that review, his new contract had new conditions that never existed before. Some of them bordering on mode of payment, some of them bordering on technical issues regarding the development of our football and that to me, is fundamental.”
SOmeteams in the Nigeria Professional Football League ( NPFL) are set for a showdown with the League Management Company ( LMC) over plan to end the season abruptly.
The LMC chairman, Shehu Dikko, had in a Channels TV programme proposed four options, which include ending the season by applying the points per game ( PPG) model as well as playing a Super Six at a neutral venue. but some of the managers are against any of these options, claiming the league body would have favoured some teams ahead of others. “The first three options are unfair as they amount to robbing Peter to pay Paul and endangering the lives of actors involved in the league. The fourth option given the foregoing is simply not possible as the confirmed cases of COVID- 19 has been persistently on the rise,” one of the managers said.
Another manager said, “the highest level of unfairness in the game of football is earning a point in a game not played except on grounds of punishment in violation of the rules and regulations guiding such competition.
“As such The PPG application and league table adjustment is absolutely unfair and not a solution The LMC should contemplate if it is for reasons of sporting fairness.
“The EPL, which The NPFL is fashioned after have not been known for accumulating outstanding matches for clubs in continental championships for any reason. Such accumulation of outstanding games in itself is a means of taking advantage over other clubs,” he added.
The coach of Rivers United, Stanley Eguma, however, said the managers of his team would meet today to take a stand on the fourpoint proposal by the LMC chairman.
“We will be meeting on Monday ( today) to look at all the options and come up with our stand. But there must be fairness in whatever decision the LMC decides to take,” he said.