Lessons from Rohr’s ingratitude to Nigeria

Gernot Rohr

Unfortunately the subject of Gernot Rohr, once thought buried in our history, has resurrected forcefully again into the consciousness of Nigerians.

This past week, the Nigeria Football Federation was ordered by FIFA to pay the former coach of the Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr, the whopping sum of about $377,000 for the six months period that was left of his 6-years contract when he was fired some months ago. It was just and proper.

Hiring and firing coaches is routine in the world of football. In that world there are more coaches being fired than there are stable ones tied to one team.

Coaches are even fired for reasons other than for losing matches – poor relationships in the locker room, uncomplimentary racist remarks to their players, being at loggerheads with star players in the locker room, mistreating a member of his technical crew, and so on.

There are a thousand reasons why coaches get sacked, beyond their failure to deliver trophies and medals. In short, there is nothing special about firing an unproductive coach as was the case with Gernot Rohr who failed in five and a half years to win any Silverware with the Super Eagles.

So, he was fired and offered the promise of his 6 months wages in lieu of the sack. Instead of being grateful to the country that gave him opportunity to get an international appointment, that elevated his football credentials and profile, that paid him stupendous wages that he never earned or deserved with his limited credentials, he went ahead and took the NFF to the court of FIFA seeking additional compensation for ‘wrongful’ termination of his contract. Pure balderdash?

It was a demonstration of the worst form of ingratitude. Except of course, if there was more to the whole matter