Super Eagles manager, Gernot Rohr has confessed the year 2022 will not be an easy one for himself and the Nigeria national team.
His comments are coming after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) postponed the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Qualifiers for the tournament had not gone past matchday two, as the matchday three and four meant to hold in March were all postponed to curtail the spread of the virus.
The FIFA World Cup is already billed to hold in Qatar same year, 2022.
Rohr, 67, who is confident of the Super Eagles chances of securing a berth in both competitions, is preparing his mind ahead of the difficult task ahead for the team.
Read Also: To win next AFCON, Super Eagles must stay humble —Rohr
‘The AFCON is postponed. It’s the same for everyone so it’s not a drawback,’ Rohr told French newspaper, girondis4ever.com
‘We have more time to prepare as well as for other countries. We can continue the qualifiers start the World Cup qualifiers at the same time.
‘But it will be a difficult 2022 year because already in 2021, there are a lot of qualifying matches to play for the team (Super Eagles). I think we will have time to play a few friendlies.
‘In the year 2022, if we have qualified for the World Cup and the AFCON, there will be many, many games to play. So it will certainly be a difficult year,’ he added.
Rohr, who has been coaching the Super Eagles since 2016, led the team to a third place finish at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt, and in April, he penned a new two-year contract with the Nigeria Football Federation.
Opinions