Gernot Rohr has refused to speak on his role with the home Super Eagles preparation for the friendly against Mexico on July 4.
Neither Rohr nor his assistant Joseph Yobo will take charge of the team in Los Angeles, rather the Nigeria FA has deployed its Technical Committee heads, Austine Eguavoen and Paul Aigbogun.
Eguavoen and Aigbogun are former National team coaches and both also have experience managing NPFL clubs.
The Eagles are camped in Abuja where they will prepare for 10 days before travelling to the USA, at least two days before the match.
All but one of the 25 players currently in the team’s camp play in the NPFL and while Rohr’s controversial history with “local” players are well documented, the German has yet again stoked the embers of this perceived strained relationship.
Rohr watched the team’s practice, but wasn’t involved in the sessions and refused to answer questions on his “input” or role in the team’s preparation.
The 67 year-old gaffer was impressed with the physical condition of the players, but raised concerns about cohesion and game tactics.
“The players seem to be fit. They have a good physical condition, they are in the rhythm of the matches,” Rohr told FL.
“They have a lot of matches now, not like the Super Eagles actually who are on holidays or resuming with their clubs. So I think they’re good physically, they have to find good tactics and play together and be able to make a good match.”
Mexico will host Nigeria at the LA Memorial Coliseum, July 4, as part of the El Tri’s preparation for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Gerardo Martino’s men play in group A, but will test their readiness against the Eagles, a game Rohr believes is winnable but could be very “difficult”.
“It is not impossible to win this match against Mexico, it is possible to win each match against each team, but it’ll be difficult because Mexico has a great team and they’re preparing for the continental tournament.”
