The Ghana Football Association (GFA) recently announced the sacking of national team head coach Milovan Rajevac after the team’s woeful performance at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Why Ghana should appoint Gernot Rohr
Exploring the reasons for Ghana to consider the ex-Super Eagles coach to lead the Black Stars
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The Black Stars failed to win a game and were knocked out of the AFCON 2021 Group Stage following a humiliating loss to newcomers, Comoros.
There is no doubt Rajevac had to go, but the next line of action for the GFA is to appoint a new head coach, which is a big task considering the number of options before them.
One of those options is the recently unemployed Franco-German tactician, Gernot Rohr who should be a serious candidate for reasons that will be explored below.
African experience
Having already managed Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso and, most recently, Nigeria, Rohr is a coach with a lot of experience in handling African national teams.
Since he took over as coach of Gabon in 2010, Rohr has only exclusively managed African national teams, which means he has a lot of experience on the continent.
The well-travelled manager has spent the better part of the last 12 years scouring Africa and familiarising himself with the terrain, which makes him a good option for Ghana to consider.
Crisis manager
Using his last job as an example, Gernot Rohr took charge of Nigeria in 2016 with Nigerian football in turmoil, similar circumstances to what Ghana are in right now.
Rohr took over a team that had failed to qualify for consecutive AFCONs and with crucial World Cup Qualifiers fast approaching, it looked like a difficult situation.
But Rohr was able to turn that situation around and qualify the Super Eagles for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, swiftly followed by an appearance at the 2019 AFCON in which Nigeria finished with a bronze medal.
With Ghanaian football in turmoil following that terrible Africa Cup of Nations campaign and a crucial World Cup Qualifying playoff on the horizon, hiring a man with precedent in a similar scenario is the right move.
Rivalry points
The aforementioned World Cup Qualifying playoff for Ghana will be against the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Gernot Rohr’s most recent employers until he was fired in December 2021.
Nigeria and Ghana also share a rivalry that is as old as time itself and transcends football which gives this proposition another interesting parallel. If Ghana appoints Nigeria’s longest-serving coach, it would give them unending bragging rights especially if he ends up being successful.
If Gernot Rohr is appointed as the new national team manager for Ghana, his first game in charge of the Black Stars would be the World Cup Qualifying playoff against Nigeria.
Imagine if Rohr qualifies Ghana for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar while simultaneously preventing his former team and Ghana’s biggest rival, Nigeria from doing so, that is a source of eternal bragging rights.
The Ghanaians could also benefit from Rohr’s extensive knowledge of Nigeria’s style of play, as the Franco-German knows the Super Eagles squad like the back of his hand. He built that team, after all.
Hiring Gernot Rohr might just be the smartest move for Ghana right now, he could function as their reverse Trojan horse.
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