Rohr: Fifa orders NFF to pay ex-Super Eagles coach till December 2022

The world football ruling body has asked Amaju Pinnick Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)-led board to pay the German tactician for wrongful dismissal.

The NFF has been asked to pay Gernot Rohr $380,000 in compensation for ending the German tactician’s contract early.

Rohr was axed as Nigeria coach after five years in charge, with Augustine Eguavoen drafted in as an interim replacement.

Before he was axed, the 68-year-old came under heavy criticism from Nigerians after the Super Eagles struggled but eventually advanced from Group C in the second round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
After that, the Franco-German went to Fifa to demand an additional sum for breach of contract. Although he had sought a total of £1m, he was granted $377,879.46 after a Fifa tribunal decided his claim was “partially accepted insofar as it is admissible”.

“If full payment (including all applicable interest) is not made within 45 days of notification of this decision, the respondent [the NFF] shall be imposed a restriction on receiving a percentage of development funding, up until the due amounts are paid,” stated Fifa decision as reported by BBC Sport Africa.

The ruling also stated that the NFF would be sanctioned if the tactician was not paid in full within 45 days.

“This sum basically reflects whatever is left to pay him as previously agreed until the end of December 2022,” a source from NFF told BBC Sport Africa.

“We can only wish Mr Rohr all the best.”

Rohr was named as permanent manager of the three-time African champions in August 2016, following the departure of the Nigerian great Sunday Oliseh.

He won his first game in charge of the Super Eagles – defeating Tanzania 1-0 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.

The German tactician led the country to the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia as well as the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations – where Nigeria finished third after defeating Tunisia in the third-place match.

In May 2020, he agreed on a two-and-a-half-year contract extension after the NFF reviewed his performances.

The former Bordeaux coach currently has a record of 28 wins out of 54 matches with Nigeria and he is the most-capped coach in the national team’s history.

Nigeria was also fined ₦63m ($154,086) by the world football governing body after crowd troubles in their 2022 World Cup play-off against Ghana played at the MKO Abiola Stadium.