Sports
No Agreement On Severance Package With NFF – Rohr
Super Eagles Coach, Gernot Rohr, has exclusively told newsmen that he is yet to agree on a severance package with the Nigerian Football Federation.
Several online platforms had reported that the Franco-German had agreed an N370 million severance package to step down as Eagles coach.
The reports also revealed that NFF and the sports ministry would meet this week to finalise details concerning Rohr’s disengagement as well as the new man to lead the national team.
When asked, Rohr told Tidesports source that he had agreed a deal to leave his post as Eagles coach, the 68-year-old who had earlier told said that he was still in charge of the team but revealed the NFF wanted him to quit the team replied, “There is no agreement for the moment.”
He also remains hopeful of leading the Eagles to the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
“Hopefully, we will be in charge to lead the team to the AFCON.”
Nigeria have been drawn alongside Egypt, Guinea Bissau and Sudan in Group D.
The Eagles will face Egypt in their opening game on January 11 in Garoua before taking on Sudan four days later.
Rohr has come under heavy criticism following the Eagles’ lacklustre 1-1 draw against Cape Verde in their final Group C World Cup qualifier in Lagos.
The three-time African champions, finished top of Group C with 13 points to qualify for the World Cup playoffs next March but there have been calls for Rohr’s sack after another disappointing display by the Eagles, who have struggled against lesser opposition in recent times.
Rohr, who is currently being owed two months’ salary by the NFF has one year left on his current deal.
He was appointed in 2016 and has recorded 28 wins, 13 draws and 13 defeats in the 54 games he has been in charge of the team.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.