Sacked coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr says the decision of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to replace the media officer of the team Toyin Ibitoye had a negative impact on the team.

Ibitoye was replaced as media officer by Babafemi Raji just before the start of the qualifiers for the Africa Cup Of Nations as well as that of the 2022 World Cup. Nigeria secure qualification for both tournaments with ease.

While speaking on the relationship he had with his backroom staff during a chat with Colin Udoh via his Twitter space, the coach reserved special praises for Ibitoye saying he made his job easy with the way he handled the media.

“We had a very good relationship with the media, the time we had with Toyin. Toyin was our media man but he had to leave. It was a big loss for the team because this man did a very good job and everything was becoming more difficult after he left”, the coach said.

“To explain what we are doing and how we are playing is not my job. This is the job of journalists, the media people. My job is to explain to my team, to my players, and not to the fans and that unfortunately we didn’t have this support like it would have been necessary without Toyin.”

The father of Manchester United 17 year old boy wonder Shola Shoretire says his son is indeed interested in playing for Nigeria at senior level despite representing England at several youth levels.

Alexander Oluwole Shoretire made this known in a mail to OwnGoalNigeria.comthat his dream and that of his son is to see him play for Nigeria at senior level.

“I want those managing football in Nigeria to note that I want my son to play for my country, Nigeria. He has broken all records in football since he started playing. The England national team is doing everything possible to see that my son feature for the ‘Three Lions’, but I want him to play his senior career with the Super Eagles.”he said.

Highly rated by former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Shoretire broke Norman Whiteside 38 year old record by becoming United’s youngest player to make an appearance in a European competition, coming on as a substitute for Mason Greenwood in a 0–0 home draw against Real Sociedad in the UEFA Europa League at the age of 17 years and 23 days.

That same season he won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award for his exploits with the youth team of the Old Trafford side. This season he has maintain his status as a regular in the UEFA Youth League and also the Premier League 2.

Former coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr has revealed that some players of the team wanted to quit the team for the African Cup of Nations following the decision of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to sack him as coach.

The coach made this known during an interaction on the Twitter space of ace Nigerian journalist Colin Udoh revealing that he persuaded them not to shun the team.

He said almost every player in the team sent him their good wishes and thanked him for the time they spent together and he responded by asking them to make the nation proud at the tournament.

Rohr said the team is a young team but he expect them to do well at the tournament in Cameroon tipping them to go all the way with Austin Eguavoen as coach of the team.

“The team is young, the future is bright. I understand the critics, everyone wants the best, they want good football & make results, but sometimes it’s not easy to achieve the two. People should be optimistic. I’m not angry, all the best to the players and the new staff”, he said.

Gernot Rohr has revealed that he will be a part of the Africa Cup of Nations despite the fact that he is no longer the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria.

The coach revealed during a Twitter interaction on the space of ace Nigerian journalist Colin Udoh that he will work as pundit at the tournament in Cameroon next year.

Rohr also said the alleged sex party that happened in the camp of the Super Eagles isn’t true as the players in question where in their rooms playing PlayStation and not involved in any unprofessional act.

He termed the reports as social media lies and urged the public to disregard the news which gained more prominence yesterday when an Instagram user claimed he has videos of the alleged sex party.

“It’s shameful to make such claims, the players are professional”, he said

Federal House of Representatives member, representing Ikeja Federal constituency of Lagos State, Hon. Abiodun James Faleke has given reasons why Authentic Nigeria Football &Allied Supporters Club (ANFASSC) is different from others in the country.

Faleke made the remarks when he made a donation to the group in order to help them out with logistics and acquisition of new equipment for the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Speaking to a delegation of the group which paid him a courtesy call he said he recognises with them because they are unique and have a leader who have shown over time that he has what it takes to lead the group to new heights.

“ANFASSC has always been unique and I am impressed with your President, who has shown decisiveness in everything he does and also the manner in which he leads his team both in and outside the stadium.”

“I am also happy to give my little support to the team for acquisition of equipment and hopefully, by the time you are departing for the games, I can still give more support,” Honorable Faleke said, adding that he has been an avid supporter of ANFASSC.

Nigeria Football Academy Simoiben says 20 year old forward Solomon John has joined Czech Republic second division side Sallier & Bellot Vlasim.

Breaking the news to OwnGoalNigeria.com CEO of the Academy Dame Sarah Simon, the wife of Super Eagles and Nantes wing forward Moses Simon revealed that his transfer to the Czech Republic side is one of the three deals they hope to wrap up in the next two months.

” It’s a good feeling to finally clear the hurdle with Solomon as he has done himself a whole lot of good. He was to sign for Nantes but we couldn’t reach an agreement on his career steps and others. His move to Sallier & Bellot Vlasim is a step that will aid his development”, she said.

“By the grace of God his move is the first of three we hope to wrap up before the end of the January transfer window. It’s the aim of why we have a football academy with some of the most talented youngsters you can get in Nigeria”.

The Academy which is based in Kaduna is largely funded by Simon as part of his own contribution to the society that helped shape his career but his wife runs the affairs of the team.

Newly appointed coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Eguavoen has altered the Super Eagles provisional list of players for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Erstwhile coach of the team Rohr submitted a list of 40 players from which he intends to call 30 to camp for preparation for the AFCON but following his sacking, the list now has some new names in it.

We gathered Huesca of Spain midfielder Kelechi Nwakali has been added to the list as well as Akinkumi Amoo of Swedish side Hammarby. Amoo was due to be a part of the Super Eagles team for an exhibition game in Spain but the game has now been cancelled owing to the recent wave of coronavirus.

The game in Spain was supposed to be prosecuted by four foreign based players and 16 players picked from Nigeria Professional Football League teams. In the list of foreign based players Alhassan Yusuf of Belgium side Antwerp was also listed.

Like Amoo, Yusuf we gathered has now been added to the list same as a unnamed player picked from the NPFL. We also gathered that Usman Mohammed of the Nigeria U23 of 2016 who now plays for Hapoel Haidara in Israel is also in the list prepared by Eguavoen.

Sacked coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Gernot Rohr says it’s for good that he is no longer coach of the Nigerian team as they get set to challenge for the AFCON 2021 title.

Rohr was relieved off his job yesterday with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirming that Austine Eguavoen will lead the team to the AFCON in interim capacity pending the appointment of a substantive coach for the team.

Reacting to the decision of the NFF to terminate his deal, the coach who has been at the helm of the senior national team of Nigeria since 2016 said he has no hard feelings over his departure from the team.

He said he wishes the team well but confesses that he will miss the players and the staff who worked with him. He predicts a bright future for the team while maintaining that his exit for the team is maybe good for them as they head into the AFCON.

“We leave a team with good chances for the future. I will miss the players and the staff but it’s perhaps better like that”, he told Owngoalnigeria.com.

The reason why the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) decided to end it’s five year association with Gernot Rohr has been made known to OwnGoalNigeria.com.

Rohr was close to remaining in his position and has already planned returning back to Nigeria next week when he was told by the NFF hierarchy that on the request of a highly placed government official Austin Eguavoen will be a part of his technical crew.

He was told it’s part of the effort to fortify the team for the Africa Cup of Nations after the not too satisfying display of the team during the course of the World Cup qualifiers despite the team scaling through to the play off.

The coach who already have a running battle of ego with Eguavoen as Technical Director of the NFF turned it down balantly telling the NFF that he won’t work with who he doesn’t trust.

His insistence on not working with the former Sunshine Stars coach didn’t go down well with the NFF who later sent him a six page letter terminating his contract with them. No statement has been made on his severance package.

The Nigeria Football Federation has appointed Mr Augustine Eguavoen, currently its Technical Director, as the Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles on an interim basis. This is with immediate effect, and follows the termination of the relationship with Franco-German Gernot Rohr, who has been in charge of the three –time African champions for the past 64 months, and is Nigeria’s longest –serving manager.

Following a virtual meeting of the NFF Executive Committee on Sunday, it was decided that Eguavoen will work with Salisu Yusuf (Chief Coach); Paul Aigbogun (Assistant Coach); Joseph Yobo (Assistant Coach); Dr Terry Eguaoje (Assistant Coach) and Aloysius Agu (Goalkeeper Trainer). Former Nigeria captains Augustine ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu and Garba Lawal have been appointed to provide technical and ambassadorial support for the crew.

General Secretary of the NFF, Dr Mohammed Sanusi said: “The relationship between the Nigeria Football Federation and Mr Rohr has come to an end. We thank him for his services to the Super Eagles and Nigeria.

“We also want to thank the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports for their collaboration and guidance all through.”

Eguavoen, a former Nigeria captain, was coach of the squad when it finished in third place at the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt in 2006. He was on-field captain when the Super Eagles lifted the Africa Cup for the first time on away ground, in Tunisia 27 years ago.

He will now take charge of the team as it begins preparations for the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations taking place in Cameroon 9th January – 6th February 2022, and until the appointment of a substantive Head Coach.