Gernot Rohr: Benin FA Demands Answers After Poor Run In World Cup Qualifiers

• Gernot Rohr was summoned to a showdown meeting with by the Federation Beninese Football (FBF) executive committee
• The manager was made to explain the Cheetah's recent poor outing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
• After the tactician's explanation, the FBF promised to give him full support in a bid to ensure better results

The Federation Beninese Football (FBF) executive committee summoned Gernot Rohr to a showdown meeting following their poor outing against Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Rohr was made to explain why his boys blew away a two-goal lead in their 2-2 draw against Zimbabwe, before losing 2-0 to Bafana Bafana in Abidjan.

Fans in the country are calling for the sacking of the tactician, but FBF called for an urgent meeting, asking the tactician to explain what went wrong.

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Prior to the last international break, Benin were joint top of the CAF qualification Group C with 7 points alongside South Africa and Rwanda.

However, in their clashes against Zimbabwe and South Africa, they could only manage one more point out of a possible six.

The Cheetahs were already two goals ahead against Zimbabwe, but the brave Warriors responded with two second-half goals to ensure they shared the spoils as it ended 2-2.

Benin then welcomed South Africa to the Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan five days later, but Bafana Bafana ran riot winning the tie 2-0.

As it stands, South Africa top the group with 13 points, while Benin and Rwanda are joint second with 8 points each per ESPN.

Nigeria's Super Eagles have managed just 7 points from six matches in the campaign and they risk missing out on the ticket.

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Benin FA sounds sack warning to Rohr

At the executive meeting, FBF president Mathurin de Chacus stated that after each game, such a meeting would be organised to analyse the difficulties faced by the technical staff in order to bring appropriate solutions to them.

He also mentioned the defeat to South Africa was a difficult pill for fans to swallow, especially in the context that the president and government are putting a lot of effort into the development of Beninese football.

Rohr gives reasons for poor run

In his reaction, Gernot Rohr disclosed several difficulties faced by the team during the last international window.

He lamented the stressful trip to Zimbabwe due to extended layover time. The manager also stated that some players’ lack of playing time at their clubs was another factor.

Rohr blames the absence of Benin supporters in Abidjan, and players’ short recovery time after the match against Zimbabwe.

He also mentioned that the fasting period affected some players, saying they appeared to be physically drained.

However, he assured that considerable effort is being made to integrate the best players in the local league.

Satisfied with his explanations, members of the FBF executive committee promised to support him so that the results could be better in the future.

NFF told to sack Eric Chelle

Legit.ng earlier reported that Nigerian journalist Mitchell Obi called on Nigeria's football authorities to relieve Eric Chelle of his duties as coach of the Super Eagles.

The former AIPS boss said Chelle should be judged based on his performance in two games, similar to how George Finidi was assessed.

Obi added that Nigerians gave the former MC Oran coach full support when he was appointed in January.

Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.