Nigeria Coach Rohr Wary Of AFCON Rivals Despite Dismal Debutant Record
19th June 2019
Burundi, Madagascar, and Mauritania in Group E, could suffer similar fates this month as they experience a higher level of competition for the first time
- Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr is wary of 2019 Africa Cup of Nations debutants and Group B rivals Burundi and Madagascar even though most newcomers to the tournament make early exits
- Twenty five of the 39 debutants -- 64.10 percent -- headed home after first rounds comprising two or three group matches
- German Rohr, whose Nigeria team are among the favourites to win the June 21-July 19 tournament in Egypt, stressed that no opponents should be treated lightly
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa- Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr is wary of 2019 Africa Cup of Nations
debutants and Group B rivals Burundi and Madagascar even though most newcomers
to the tournament make early exits.
Twenty five of the 39
debutants -- 64.10 percent -- headed home after first rounds comprising two or
three group matches.
Burundi, Madagascar,
and Mauritania in Group E, could suffer similar fates this month as they
experience a higher level of competition for the first time.
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German Rohr, whose
Nigeria team are among the favourites to win the June 21-July 19 tournament in
Egypt, stressed that no opponents should be treated lightly.
"There will be
no easy matches for Nigeria," stressed the 65-year-old ahead of their
opening match against Burundi in Mediterranean city Alexandria this Saturday.
Using the latest
FIFA world rankings as a guide, the Nigerian Super Eagles should win
comfortably as they are 89 places higher than the Burundian Swallows.
Informed of the gap,
Rohr said "my team will never underestimate any opponent no matter what
the rankings suggest".
Rohr added that
Burundi had qualified instead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang-led Gabon and that
should serve as a warning to his team.
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Guinea complete
Group B and Belgium-born coach Paul Put echoed the views of Rohr that the two
newcomers they will face deserve respect.
- 'Extremely careful' -
"Who is to say
debutants cannot progress beyond the first round," he said. "Guinea
and Nigeria have to be extremely careful in the group.
"Countries
making Cup of Nations debuts are usually dismissed as outsiders by the media,
which takes all the pressure off them and makes them even more determined to
cause shocks.
"These
so-called weaker sides have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Our
concentration levels from the kick-off to the final whistle have to be 100
percent."
While Rohr and Put
preach caution, the reality is that since newcomers/hosts Libya came
second in 1982, 13 of the 16 debutants were eliminated after the first round.
The last team to
progress beyond the first round were Cape Verde, who qualified for the 2013
quarter-finals at the expense of Angola and Morocco before losing to Ghana.
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Look
In the modern era,
South Africa are the only newcomers to become champions with home advantage,
80,000 crowds and 1,753 metre (5,751 feet) altitude factors in the
success.
The 2019 tournament
kicks off Friday at the Cairo International Stadium with a Group A match
between Mohamed Salah-inspired Egypt and Zimbabwe.