Gernot Rohr and His Future

What’s Next for Gernot Rohr?

Gernot Rohr’s time as head coach of Nigeria came to an end a few days ago. The German spent five years coaching the Super Eagles, and even though he was well on track to reach his contractual obligations, he was let go.

As someone who has coached across multiple football leagues and has been coaching in Africa since 2008, what is next for Rohr?

Career in Africa

Rohr first came to the continent in 2008 and took over at Etoile Sahel in the Tunisian league. His time in Tunisia was short-lived, as he was fired from his position after Etoile finished third in 2009, outside of the 2010 CAF Champions League places.

On the 30th of June 2011, he was named head coach of Nantes in the French second division. He would be ultimately fired from that position as well in December of that same year. His next stop would be back in Africa, as the head coach of Gabon.

He would be in charge of Gabon for a total of 19 games. They would win eight, draw five, and lose six. He then spent two years as the manager of Niger, being in charge of 23 games and winning just 3.


In mid-July of 2018, he was shortlisted to take over the Guinea national team. However, he wasn’t given the job. Later that year, he became head coach of Nigeria and went on to win his first match with the team, a 1-0 one over Tanzania.

His first loss was at the hands of South Africa, losing 2-0 on the 10th of June. 2017 saw further success for Nigeria and Rohr as they became the first African team to qualify for the 2108 World Cup.

The World Cup was disappointing for the Super Eagles. They were drawn in the same group as Iceland, Croatia, and Argentina, and being one of the strongest teams around, they expected to finish at least second.

However, they lost their first game against Croatia 2-0 but won their second against Iceland 2-0. They scored second against Argentina in their last game, making it 1-1, but Marcos Rojo scored the winner late in the game, sealing Nigeria’s fate.

In May 2020, Rohr’s contract was negotiated with the Nigerian Football Federation. He was tasked to lead Nigeria to the 2021 African Cup of Nations and the 2022 World Cup. Considering Nigeria is one of the strongest African teams on the continent, this wasn’t a challenging task.


European coaches have struggled to find their way in Africa, yet Rohr managed to make a difference as the Nigerian manager and take the team back to the heights we all knew they could reach. His firing is easily one of the strangest decisions in football this year.

However, he has shown that he does have the ability to lead a team to sustained success. While he has failed to make an impact before, he finished his Nigerian tenure with a record of 64 games played, with 35 wins and only 13 losses.

A good choice for Rohr would be to head to Asia, specifically China. Chinese football has exploded over the past few years, with more and more players heading East. Rohr can undoubtedly do the same and find a job.

He may also look for another head coach position in Africa. He has spent the last eleven years on the continent and has made a name for himself, especially after his time as the Nigerian coach.

Either way, he will most likely take some time off before finding a new job, but you can be sure that you will see him on the sidelines once again very soon.