Shut up! You talk too much, Lawal tells Rohr News

Navigation: Home / News / News / Shut up! You talk too much, Lawal tells Rohr

Shut up! You talk too much, Lawal tells Rohr

By Maduabuchi Kalu on April 14, 2017

Super Eagles’ technical adviser, Gernot Rohr, has come under fire for declaring Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) players as unfit to don the national colours following the crashing out of the two Nigerian representatives in the preliminary stage of this year’s CAF Cup competition, FC Ifeanyi Ubah and Wikki Tourists of Bauchi.

Rohr had after the friendly game between Nigeria and the Teranga Lions of Senegal said that there was no need asking for infusion of the home-based players into the team as they are yet to prove that they can play in such high profile game in London.

To buttress his position, Rohr explained that the league is not strong enough for the players plying their trade in it to be considered for the national team because according to him the two Nigeria representatives in the CAF Cup, FC Ifeanyi Ubah and Wikki Tourists could not go beyond the preliminary stage while the two other Nigerian representatives in the money spinning competition, the CAF Champions League, Enugu Rangers and Rivers United were unable to make it to the group stage of the competition.

He said the two were demoted to the lower CAF Championship which shows that the league is not up to the standard even as he revealed that Senegal had no home based player in their squad during the game but former national team utility player Garba Lawal disagrees with him.

Said Lawal: “What does he mean by that? If that is his position it then means that nobody will play for the country because most of the players that play for the country started from here.

“Most of us who played for the country started here. We played in the league before we moved abroad. Players like the late Stephen Keshi, Daniel Amokachi, Emmanuel Amuneke, Finidi George, Victor Ikpeba, Tijani Babangida, Nwankwo Kanu, Aiustin Jay Jay Okocha, Taribo West, Peter Rufai, Mitiu Adepoju, late Rashed Yekini, Uche Okechukwu to mention but a few. So, what is he talking about?

“I think that Gernot Rohr is talking too much. He is always in the media and it is not good for a coach. He should be able to concentrate on his job than making some utterances that will not help the game in the country.

“He should shut his mouth and do his job after all, what has he been able to achieve? He has not won any trophy for the country.

“Some foreign coaches such as Jo Bonfrere won football gold for the country and he never talked the way Rohr is talking.

“Of course Otto Gloria and Clemens Westerhof won the Nations Cup in 1980 and 1994 respectively for the country and they never condemned the league.

“Even the late Stephen Keshi won the Nations Cup for the country and yet, did not condemn the league. It was from the league that both foreign based and home based players originate from. Teams like Enugu Rangers, Shooting Stars, Iwuanyanwu Nationale, New Nigerian Bank of Benin, Bendel Insurance, Stationary Stores, Ranchers Bees were the clubs that were supplying the national team its players in those days. So, I don’t know what he is talking about that the league if not of standard and if it so what has been able to do to help out?

“As a matter of fact, with the way he is talking he will lose the respect of the players because it is not proper for him to condemn the league.

“As the national team coach, what advise did he give to those clubs that he said did not do well on the continent? Has he been able to find out why they crashed out of the CAF Cup competition?

“Criticism is part and parcel of the game. Even when I was playing I got a lot of criticism but it never bothered me because criticism makes you to be a better player and a better coach.

So, if he is receiving criticism that does not mean that he should start saying things that will not help the game in the country.

“Now that he has condemned the league, are we going to stop playing our league? It does not make sense. He should better concentrate on his job and talk less.

“He should realise that this job is about hiring and firing. He should minimise his talks and concentrate more on his job.”

•Photo shows ex-international Garba Lawal.

Source Daily Sports

Posted April 14, 2017