Gernot Rohr hoping to lead Benin Republic to AFCON and World Cup

Fueled by the mighty feats of Angola and Togo in 2006 as well as leading Nigeria to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Benin Republic’s new head coach Gernot Rohr is aiming for similar heights with the Cheetahs, previously known as the Squirrels.

After qualifying Nigeria for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and leading them to the third place position at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt, Rohr was sacked by Nigeria in December 2021 before the 2022 AFCON in January last year, also before the FIFA World Cup playoff round game against Ghana.

However, the Franco-German tactician can stay in charge and reach the same heights as the Benin Republic, the fifth African national team he will coach.

The West African nation has yet to qualify for the World Cup and last played at the AFCON in 2019, their fourth qualification for the continental tournament. Rohr, despite the odds, believes they can still qualify.

“In football, nothing is impossible. To play at the World Cup is our collective ambition as coaches. We need to have big dreams in football. We need success that will have a greater impact. It is important because any positive progress is what will help us convince binational players to commit to Benin. I’ve seen our great potential in attack, and if we win the next game, everything will be wide open. I think we can still qualify for the Nations Cup. But if that doesn’t happen, we’ll have other ambitions.” Rohr said.

His team faced Rwanda on Wednesday and could only get a 2-2 draw at home, a result which left them bottom of the group with one point from three games and needing them to win all their remaining three games to stand any chance of qualifying for the next AFCON.

In Group L, Senegal, and Mozambique sit in first and second position with six and four points, respectively, from two matches, with Rwanda and the Benin Republic in the bottom positions.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu