Former Super Eagles handler, Genort Rohr’s failure to give Nigeria a formidable team was partly responsible for the early ouster of the Super Eagles from the 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroun, the organisers of the Nigeria Pitch Awards said.

“If we look at it critically, the former Head Coach, Rohr failed to give Nigeria a formidable team and I like the fact that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) took a bold step to sack him before the AFCON,” Shina Philips, the event’s president said in an interview.

Pitch Awards are presented to Nigerian former and present sportspeople, administrators, and journalists, in recognition of their positive contributions to sports in Nigeria.

Phillips, while reacting to the early ouster of the Super Eagles at the ongoing AFCON in Cameroun, said the ouster of the Super Eagles in AFCON by the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia was painful, it was not an unusual circumstance.

“The result in the AFCON though painful, was not unexpected. It is not that I am not patriotic enough not to believe in the team, there are other underlining factors.

“When there is a major tournament, like AFCON, we should know that the best team will win because it is a long-term plan, but I can’t say that about Nigeria.

“The interim coach, Austin Eguavoen was given a short time to assemble the team to the AFCON, and we should note that we have not had a first eleven team for a long time,” he said.

Phillips noted that the Nigerian players to the AFCON 2021 performed individually and not on the team’s strength which made the team to lack technical depth.

(NAN)