Rohr: Amuneke kicks against NFF interference

FIFA U-17 World Cup winning coach, Emmanuel Amuneke has frowned at the new directive by the Nigeria Football Federation which demands that Super Eagles head coach, Gernot Rohr must submit the list of players invited to camp to its technical committee for scrutiny before it is made public.

Reacting to the 2-0 defeat the Super Eagles suffered in the hands of their South African counterparts in Uyo last week, the NFF Technical committee met and part of their resolution at the meeting was that Rohr's list of invited players must undergo scrutiny before any match involving the Super Eagles. This step, the NFF technical committee said, was taken to ensure quality control.

But Amuneke, a former Nigeria international, now a renowned coach said, "that step by the NFF technical committee is panicky and would not serve any useful purpose for the coach. Is it because the team lost to South Africa? In football you don't only think about positive results. You also think about losing. It was good they lost now. If they did not, he would not know whether those players were good or bad.

"You employ a coach for him to give you good results. Why must you vet his list of players?. It is he who knows the players that can help him achieve results. We must not create an unnecessary scene where there is none. Rohr is doing a fantastic job."

Amuneke said the NFF leadership and Nigerians generally must be realistic in their judgement of the Super Eagles manager.

"So far, Rohr is doing a great job. We may not understand what he is doing now. The essence of what he is doing is that he is using this avenue to give as many players of Nigerian descent a chance to prove themselves. He will select those that can help him achieve the desired result."

Amuneke said the team can still qualify for the 2019 AFCON despite of the loss to South Africa. "The players must remain focused and work towards what they want to achieve as a team."