Difficult for home-based players to break into Eagles, says Rohr

By Morakinyo Abodunrin

Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has decried lack of match fitness  for players in the domestic league following the exit  of two of the country’s flagbearers in continental  club competitions over the weekend.

NPFL sides, Plateau United and Kano Pillars, both exited the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup with aggregate losses to Simba FC of Tanzania and ASC Jaraaf of Senegal respectively.

“We can’t not hope for better results regarding the long period without playing competition games,” the German told NationSports.

The NPFL season was brought to an abrupt end in March following the outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic hence none of the country’s flag bearers including Enyimba of Aba and Rivers United has played competitive games over the last 10 months.

“It’s impossible for the players to be on the top level in international matches; it will take some time for everybody to find again the best performance,” he explained.

Incidentally, Rohr was recently told in clear terms by the sporting authorities that he must inject at least 25 percent home -based players in subsequent call ups for the Super Eagles for international matches.

But the 67-year-experienced former national team coach of Gabon and Burkina Faso has in his usual frankness hazard the difficulties befuddling such arm-twisting policy.

“The abroad based players are playing all the time in high level competition, so it’s a big difference (between them and the local-based players,” noted Rohr.