Rohr laments: It will be difficult to monitor 28 NPFL teams

.Says he will need 10 additional assistants

By Taofeek Babalola

Super Eagles head Coach Gernot Rohr has decried plans by the League Management Company (LMC) and Nigeria National League (NNL) to have 28 teams in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) for 2018/2019 season, saying it will be difficult for him to monitor local players before the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon, Sportinglens.blogspot.com reports.

The German tactician stated this while responding to a question on a Monday night football show on SuperSport against the backdrop of the proposed 28 teams for the NPFL next season.

The draw for the NPFL season was conducted in Asaba, Delta State last Tuesday night with proposed abridged format paired into two groups.

The draw witnessed an increase in the number of teams in the top-flight from 20 to 24 with the decision not to relegate any team from NPFL last season while still accommodating the four newly promoted teams from the Nigeria National League.

But the NNL after its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday night  in Abuja proposed the 8 teams for the promotion to the NPFL.

Speaking about the possibility of discovering local players that can fit-in the Super Eagles for the forthcoming  AFCON in Cameroon next year, Rohr said he will need additional ten assistants to be able to monitor 28 teams before the continental showpiece.

“It will be difficult for me to monitor 28 teams. The league will have 28 teams now. Maybe I will ask the (NFF) president to give me ten additional assistants to do the job,” Rohr said.

He added: “We will be watching them. We have seen a lot of them, my assistants; coach Imama who is a former coach will be going round, Aloy Agu will go round, Salisu Yusuf will be monitoring the league in the north. Victor Agali will monitor in Lagos. So I will need other assistants to help me.” 

He also revealed that he dropped Kano Pillars forward Junior Lokosa from World Cup final list because he had better players than him in the squad. 

“I had other players who were better than him. He was in the 28-man provisional list to the world cup but we had better players than him that was why he didn’t make the final list”