We Can’t Pay Rohr ₦157 Million - NFF Says Over FIFA Ruling

 

President, Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, on Monday said the federation might appeal FIFA’s ruling to pay former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr $377,879.46 (N156,819,975) in compensation after the federation parted ways with the Franco-German last December.

The world football governing body ordered the NFF to pay Rohr the money under 45 days after ending his contract abruptly five months ago.

An underwhelming performance by the Eagles saw the former Bordeaux manager shown the exit door with just a month to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Despite an agreement to pay his salary until the end of his contract, which should have expired in December 2022, Rohr, the Eagles longest serving coach, took the case to FIFA, demanding an additional £1m for breach of contract “without just cause.”

The 68-year-old had sought a total of £1m, but was granted $377,879.46 after a FIFA tribunal decided his claim was “partially accepted insofar as it is admissible.”

The ruling by the FIFA players’ status chamber added that the NFF would be sanctioned if Rohr was not paid in full within 45 days.

“If full payment (including all applicable interest) is not made within 45 days of notification of this decision, the respondent (the NFF) shall be imposed a restriction on receiving a percentage of development funding, up until the due amounts are paid,” said the FIFA decision.

Reacting to the decision, Pinnick, in an exclusive chat with PUNCH Sports Extra, said the federation might seek an appeal, saying they had paid Rohr some money before the termination of his contract.

“That’s not the true position,” Pinnick said of the ruling.

“FIFA declined most of his (Rohr’s) requests and said we should pay him $377,879.46 because we paid him six months in lieu.

“We are still debating whether to go to CAS and tell them to convert that money we paid him to what FIFA wants us to pay him.”

FIFA’s order to pay Rohr the compensation came barely a week after the NFF were fined $154,000 for crowd trouble following their draw against Ghana in a World Cup play-off at the Moshood Abiola Stadium Abuja in March.

When our correspondent called Rohr for his comments on the issue, he didn’t respond, while he also didn’t reply the message sent to his WhatsApp as at the time of filing this report.