Ahead of Nigeria’s crucial 2026 World Cup qualifier against Benin Republic on Monday, Super Eagles coach Finidi George has sent a warning to his counterpart, Gernot Rohr, suggesting that the former Eagles coach’s familiarity with the Nigerian players should be a cause for concern.
Rohr, who now manages the Benin Republic national team, spent over five years as the head coach of Nigeria before his dismissal in December 2021.
Speaking about the upcoming clash, Finidi dismissed the notion that Rohr’s knowledge of the Nigerian players could give him an advantage.
“That doesn’t change anything. If he knows the players, doesn’t know the players, it’s Benin, the players that he had before they are still around, that means he should be fearful,” Finidi said.
The Nigerian coach went on to highlight the quality of the Super Eagles squad, implying that Rohr’s intimate understanding of the players should be a source of worry for the Benin Republic.
“If he knows the players so well and he has coached them, he should know they are a bunch of good players that we have in the national team,” Finidi added.
Finidi also emphasized his desire to see an attacking brand of football from his team, suggesting that they will take the game to Benin Republic rather than adopting a cautious approach.
“I’ve always said it, I want to see attractive football, and you must risk if you want to win. You can’t just sit back and feel the goals will come; you have to enforce it, which we did in the second half, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen,” he said.
Looking ahead to the match in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Finidi exuded confidence in his team’s ability to secure a positive result, saying, “We’ll go to Ivory Coast and see how we can win that game.”
The Eagles need to win the game after drawing their first three games against Lesotho, Zimbabwe and South Africa, leaving them fifth in the group with three points.
