Benin Republic’s Gernot Rohr congratulates Bruno Labbadia, the new Super Eagles head coach, ahead of their September 7 clash.
Former Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr has congratulated Bruno Labbadia on his appointment as the head coach of Nigeria’s senior men’s team.
Labbadia’s appointment makes him the sixth German to take charge of the Eagles and the 26th foreign head coach overall. Rohr, who’s currently the head coach of Benin Republic, was the fifth German to manage Nigeria.
Reacting to the appointment of his compatriot, Rohr said, “Bruno Labbadia is a very good coach. Congrats to the Super Eagles for finding such a coach. I hope he will be well-treated by the NFF and Nigerian football fans.
“He has a lot of experience from the Bundesliga; this is the first time he’s coaching a national team, but he will quickly adapt to the environment in Nigeria.”
Labbadia’s first match in charge of Nigeria will be in the Matchday One of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Rohr’s Benin Republic on Saturday, September 7, in Uyo.
“He will have his first match in Uyo against Benin Republic. We will meet very soon. Like me, his first match will also be in Uyo, which was a very nice place,” Rohr said.
“We are happy to see him with this wonderful team, which has the best players all over West Africa. It will be a great match. I wish him all the best, but not against us.”
Meanwhile, the Super Eagles’s last game ended in a 2-1 defeat to Benin Republic in Matchday Four of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Monday, June 10. The defeat led to the resignation of Finidi George from his role as Nigeria’s head coach.
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