Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has revealed that he had wanted to avoid facing the host county, Egypt in the group stage of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
The West African powerhouse can no longer face the Pharaohs in the group stage as both teams are now in pot one of the draw following the draw procedure which was approved by the CAF Executive Committee on Thursday.
Rohr would prefer to avoid four top West African teams in the group stage and he's also wary of South Africa, the only African team to have beaten the Super Eagles since he was appointed coach in 2016.
Asked the team he would like to avoid, Rohr told the official website of CAF : ''Of course, but we are in the same pot so we can't meet Egypt. Because when you play the host country it is always difficult especially when you have a big team like you have here in Egypt.
''But when you see in the pot number two, all the teams can win it. You have Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast... all big teams.
''Even in the third pot, you have South Africa and some teams like that who can be able to win it.
''So really you have in this tournament the best teams in Africa''.
AFCON Draw Pot 1- 4
Pot 1: Egypt (hosts), Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco
Pot 2: DR Congo, Ghana, Mali, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Algeria
Pot 3: South Africa, Uganda, Benin, Mauritania, Madagascar, Kenya
Pot 4: Zimbabwe, Namibia, Guinea Bissau, Angola, Tanzania, Burundi
Pot 2: DR Congo, Ghana, Mali, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Algeria
Pot 3: South Africa, Uganda, Benin, Mauritania, Madagascar, Kenya
Pot 4: Zimbabwe, Namibia, Guinea Bissau, Angola, Tanzania, Burundi
Ifeanyi Emmanuel
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