Gernot Rohr has said Maduka Okoye is a major doubt for Thursday’s Group C 2022 World Cup qualifier between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and Central Africa Republic.
Rohr disclosed this during pre-match press conference via zoom on Wednesday.
Rohr expressed displeasure over Okoye’s late arrival to camp hinting either Francis Uzoho or Daniel Akpeyi could be in goal.
“Maduka arrived in the night, he missed his flight. I’m not happy about it because it’s not professional and I’m not sure he will start the game,” Rohr said.
Also Read: Osimhen Voted Serie A Player Of The Month
“We have two other goalkeepers and it’s not going to be an easy match and when players arrive late it’s not helping us because we said we have to be serious.
“He already had one training with us, I spoke with him and he knows what he did (coming late to camp) is not good, we tried to arrange a good flight for him but he missed it.
“They have to be really serious when they come to the national team. Like I said there’s no assurance he will start the match. They have to learn especially the young players like him, they have to be here on time.
“The time is very short to prepare for the match and we know this match will not be easy. So we will decide tonight or tomorrow morning.”
On the fitness of Paul Onuachu, who has a slight injury concern, the German coach stated:”Onuachu had a little injury on the ankle yesterday morning in the first training session in the hotel. It was swollen yesterday evening, we didn’t want to take any risk so he did only special session with our physio.
“I hope he will be ready after the last training session, we will decide if he can take part.”
The Eagles will host Central African Republic in the first leg before travelling to Douala, Cameroon for the second leg.
By James Agberebi
Copyright © 2024 Completesports.com All rights reserved. The information contained in Completesports.com may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the prior written authority of Completesports.com.
COMMENTS
Just put Uzoho on the post. He is the best Nigeria goal keeper for now.
We all understand that you are trying to build Okoye.
God bless Nigeria.
Uzoho hasn’t manned his club’s goal post since he moved in August. The only justifiable reason for him to be in goal is cuz Okoye arrived late if we are to judge by club performances, Adeleye deserves to be invited and Uzoho doesnt.
Well spoken.
Uzoho takes charge of his defense line.hence not all cheap long ball from outside the yard can enter the net.
An inative uzoho is far more better than okoye,he concedes very cheap goals and I’m sure it might be the main reason for axing him
I’m a rohn’s fan but this is massive error from him.. What is uzoho doing in the team when he hasn’t played competitive games for months. The only reason why makuda misbehaved was because he knew he was sure to start the game since no one was competing for his position in the team. Rohn should avoid favorism and pick only active players, musa for example isn’t active he should be dropped. It is better we play maduka like that and avoid playing an Inactive uzoho. The coach should learn his lessons from this.
Ololo, what about inviting a very active Adebayo Adeleye to give stiff competition to Okoye?
Adeleye is very short. We need tall goalkeepers. That is the modern trend. Apart from trend, taller goalkeepers have a lot of advantages over shorter ones, like aerial ball, diving span etc. Donnarumma, Cortois, De Gea and more etc are great examples
Adeleye is the same height as Hugo Lloris and Akpeyi. Check their heights online. Your argument holds no water.
Perhaps you need glasses. I’m sure you got the impression that Adebayo is the same height with Lloris after you googled. But let me shock you a bit, what you saw on google is the height of Dele Adeleye. Adebayo Adeleye and Dele Adeleye are two different players.
As I said earlier, Adebayo Adeleye is a very good goalkeeper with very sharp reflexes but he is not tall enough. He is even shorter than Ikechukwu Ezenwa that I personally complained about his height and inability to deal with crosses, corner kicks and aerial balls
This is the way to go. It’s too early for Okoye to be forming “big boy” in the Super Eagles. He should be put in his place… But, on a second thought, we have to be careful with this…
If musa was not active he should be dropped.. Musa is dropping regularly in his team and deserved to be in the team
You can never stop the work of God over Uzoho Oga Rohr.
You and your followers acting as if there’s no God. God really want to prove something to you and your fans. Okoye is good but Uzoho is ahead of him.
I want to see if you will put Okoye or Akpeyi on goal post tomorrow.
God is behind you Uzoho. No shaking. We patriotic Nigerians are solidly behind you. God is watching you all one by one. God bless Nigeria!!!
The God you’re calling is a GOD OF LOVE, not unfounded, biased, irrational hatred.
Omo9ja, leave this small boy alone for his parents. He is only 22 yrs old, yet look at the progress he’s made. The boy is going to be a huge asset for us in the near future at this rate.
Your irrational hatred for Rohr is there, now you’ve extended it to Okoye. Na wa ooo. When the 2 of them perform well, you disappear poof like smoke. But when they struggle, you are here to rub salt in injury!
All the selected goalies are teammates. Let them all try, and whoever is selected to keep tomorrow has everybody’s support.
Ahahah, ahhhhhh. I can’t believe this kę. This is quite funny though Lolz. Before they said I hate Oga Rohr and now, I hate Okoye.
Why are you people running♂️ away from the truth?
Can’t you people see that God wanted to prove to you all and Oga Rohr that Uzoho is a chosen one?
Can’t you see niiiiiii?
Hmmm. Come on Mr.Pompei. Mr. Ikpeba said his own, you people were calling him names such as, hater, looser and so on now I omo9ja is another hater of Okoye that I love to see in our green and white Colour. Are you kidding me ni kę?
When you see the truth say it the way it is and set your mind free. That is me omo9ja for you Oga Rohr fans.
Fortunately, I love you all.
I will forgive you all because of Nigeria.
However, for you Mr. Dr. Drey, omato ijomęta kę. How are you doing my pikin?
Anyway, thanks for insulting yourself because you are a Nigerian and definitely omo9ja should be in case you may not know.
Many of you doesn’t know that I am representing Nigeria through you but now you know.
Keep insulting yourself on else you are not a Nigerian.
Oga Rohr can’t keep ignoring other goalies because Okoye have to be Nigeria no1.
Akpeyi has no business in that team because we have so many young talented, adorable, elegant and mul·ti·skilled goalies to compete with Uzoho and Okoye.
Adeboye
Osagwe
Yakubu
Are there waiting for a call from the coaching crew while the coaches keep inviting Akpeyi and false Okoye to no1 goalie at all cost? Who does that.
Let me stop here because Oga Rohr followers, NFF and Oga Rohr prefer sweet talk to bitter truth. Hmmm. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
fausing rather
Hahahahaha….and later you will open your rotten mouth filled with brown teeth to say Rohr has not discovered a goalkeeper in 5 years…..LMAOooo.
I guess the Uzoho you are thanking God for now is the Bus Driver of the super eagles.
Okponu..!
He scolded Rohr for inviting Okoye when he was playing in the Fourth division in Germany. We all saw how he was bitting trees all over the place when the lad was first invited. Later when Okoye moved to Sparta he started praising him as the best thing that ever happened since man landed in space. That he can now be shouting Hozanna for a goalie who hasn’t kept goal since August is not surprising especially from someone who is suffering from chronic amnesia Lmao!!
When someone is overcome by hate, even his senses will make way.
“In 5 years, Rohr cannot discover a goalkeeper”, but the mumu is rejoicing and thanking God for Uzoho now….LMAOooo.
Its either Uzoho has been the shoe shiner of the Super Eagles since 2017 or It was Omoale’s grandfather that discovered him and gave him his SE debut in 2017 and not Rohr.
Omo eni i ba j’oni a ba yo.
Won ni awe omo re y’ode, awe ni bi omo o ba sa ti ku. Kilo pani ju ago lo…?
omo9ja go, o fenu ho’ra.
Maduka messed up, coming in late to camp is unacceptable, but he’s our number one, those two goal keepers Uzoho and Akpeyi I can stand by Uzoho if he’s active in his club, but he’s not, and his club isn’t competitive, Osigwe kept for his club last weekend he Uzoho and Maduka should be our Super Eagles Goal Keepers. But let Maduka start. My opinion candidly.
Well, your opinion lacks merit if you ignore Adeleye. Your argument is that only active players should be invited and yet you conveniently avoided naming Adeleye as a possible invitee.
My opinion too @Presh, and Rohr may surprise everyone tomorrow by keeping Okoye in the starting lineup. I saw the video of their trains today and Okoye kept the goal for Team A while Uzoho was in goal for team B.
It’s had to ignore the fact that only Okoye is a regular starter for a decent team while the other 2 are bench warmers. Missing just 1 training session to me is surely not enough to sanction the guy. Am sure Okoye will have a good reason why he missed his flight and all will be forgiven. I like Uzoho too but his lack of match fitness will be a problem, hard decision for Rohr to make.
On a lighter note, I read some forumites here complaining of Okoye’s Fine boy status, claiming that’s why the coaches always pick him………….I laugh in Ijebu lol!!!
First keeper supose to come on time so that he will have time to understand and study his defenders well but Nigerian football no dey try at all. Owning this boys bonus and ask them not to tell jonalist is bad. Rohr is Owning for 8months and no one is talking. Infact, this Boyz dey try self but 9ja football need to improve.
I stand with the gaffer on this,but he should avoid fielding Akpeyi.instead make Alloy Agu just man the post.
_ Maduka Okoye Drops The Ball _
Hopefully Okoye will learn from whatever mistakes he made and will turn up to camp on time next time. Being Number One for a huge footballing nation like Nigeria is big deal. He has done very well for himself to get his national career to where it Is, Okoye should be weary of not pouring sand into his own Garri.
The goalkeeping department of the Super Eagles is the least competitive at the moment, which is such a shame. There is paucity of available known-quality-options.
Even Israel based Adebayo Adeleye whom I have so much faith in, he is still relatively young in age and he is yet to rack up valuable hours of top flight football. He does look nimble at first glance but he has much to learn.
Everywhere you look, either we don’t have goalkeepers in leagues or they are languishing in benches.
Matthew Yakubu, Sebastian Osigwe and David Nwokolor are others who can be called upon. But their club fortunes will have to change first before they can be taken seriously.
Dele Alampasu’s career seems to be on a freefall as the former Golden Eaglet is not even deemed good enough for Latvian league.
Daniel Akpeyi – who has never been a fan favourite – is aging and also sits on the bench as often as keeps for Kaizer Chiefs. Francis Uzoho is not the goalkeeper he once was though he there is the potential for him to work his way back to optimum mental and physical state.
Which leaves the field wide (wide) open for Okoye to consolidate his position as Nigeria’s number one, only for him to ‘drop the ball’ due to indiscipline, carelessness or mindless mistake.
Not all Super Eagles fans are sold on Okoye – I have my doubts about his abilities. But the more he keeps, the more he builds his own confidence, hone his skills and improve on areas of weaknesses.
Rohr has a decision to make and if seems like the German has erred on the side of reprimand.
The good news for Okoye is that if the other available goalkeepers continue to experience glovelessness (a word I just created :)) in club football, Okoye will be expected to be reinstalled to his place in future.
Rohr is a forgiving coach: he forgave Akpeyi’s error against Argentina in 2017 and he forgave Iheanacho’s indiscretion in 2019. So Okoye has hope.
Let’s hope the 22 year old Ibo man Düsseldorf will learn his lesson!
Good one, Deo.
Players don’t come in packages labelled TRAINING MATERIALS.
Players train to prepare for matches. So if Rohr decides to bench the DUSSELDORF NINJA tomorrow in the name of squad rotation, nothing spoil. We move.
Indeed, Okoye must realize that being the numero uno of a country, especially one as demanding as Nigeria, is not moi-moi. Coming early to camp is a given. Even the great Enyeama was always one of the first in camp. Okoye should be careful not to use his own hand to pour sand into his garri.
But Omo9ja, you said God is behind Uzoho. Are you implying that God is not behind Okoye and Akpeyi?
Stop telling lies, Omo9ja. You are bigger than these cheap lies you like telling.
I NEVER, EVER called Ikpeba a hater or a loser. I only admonished him to tone down his criticism and keep it constructive.
The players need the advise and wisdom of the ex-internationals. But receiving no advice is FAR BETTER than destructive criticism.
Omo9ja, o ma lagidi! You simply will not be persuaded. Even when the truth is right before your very korokoro. I think you need to forgive yourself first, before you extend forgiveness to the rest of us.
If I criticized Akpeyi in the past, it was never out of hatred, but a desire to motivate him to wake up and improve. And he has done that. Akpeyi today is much more savvy in goal than the jittery Akpeyi of the past. Instead of encouraging him, you Omo9ja continue to hold on to the past! You even go to the length of implying that God is not with him? This your mouth ehn!
To say that God is not with someone is the biggest ill-will you can ever wish anyone. What have Okoye and Akpeyi done to offend you? Is it because of football that you are willing to place a curse on people like this? O MA SE OOO! What a shame!