Rohr: Cheetahs of Republic of Benin must be in Morocco for AFCON 2025
Head coach of Cheetahs of Republic of Benin, Gernot Rohr has set his sight on his team’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations matchday 2 tie against Libya in Cote d’Ivoire on Tuesday.
Rohr, a former manager of the Super Eagles, led his Cheetahs to Uyo in their matchday 1 game and were comprehensively beating by the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
While the German has admitted the superiority of the Nigerians over his Cheetahs, he however believes he can still lead them to next year’s AFCON after missing the last two editions.
Two teams will qualify for the AFCON in Morocco from the group.
“Of course, we want to go to the AFCON. Benin missed two editions before I arrived. Now we have to go. This time, it’s very important. We all want to go to Morocco, and just because we lose in Nigeria doesn’t mean that it jeopardizes our goal,” Rohr reassured after the game in Uyo.
The 71-year-old says he is not feeling deflated following the loss to Nigeria and insists his Cheetahs must start earning points from their next game against Libya.
‘When you see the Nigerian squad, they are all very high-level players who play for their clubs. And unfortunately, we have players who don’t play much for their clubs. So, we can’t compare the two squads,’ he said.
Rohr was Nigeria’s manager between August 9, 2016, to December 21, 2021
