The head coach of Benin Republic, Gernot Rohr, has thrown his support behind Morocco, labelling them as “very difficult to beat” and predicting their success in the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Set to commence on December 21, the much-anticipated tournament in Morocco will see Africa’s premier national teams vie for the prestigious title.
Cote d’Ivoire, the reigning champions, secured their title by overcoming Nigeria in the final of the previous edition, but various teams are poised to challenge Emerse Fae’s squad.
Rohr, a German coach, has faith in the Atlas Lions, who boast exceptional talent including Youssef En-Nesyri, Sofyan Amrabat, and Achraf Hakimi, to clinch their second title on home ground.
“There are also formidable contenders like Nigeria, Tunisia, and Senegal in the mix. You can always expect them to push South Africa hard in the competition.”
“It’s fascinating to think about these teams clashing again as we saw in the World Cup qualifiers, but we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out.”
The former Bayern Munich and Bordeaux defender previously led Nigeria to a third-place finish at the 2019 AFCON held in Cairo, where the Super Eagles triumphed over Tunisia in the playoff for bronze.
However, he was dismissed by the Nigeria Football Federation in December 2021 after five years in charge, a decision attributed to inconsistent performances, underwhelming results in critical matches, and dissatisfaction with his tactics.
Rohr aims for modest AFCON success with Benin
Now 71 years old, Rohr is preparing to guide Benin Republic to the Morocco 2025 tournament after successfully qualifying, having missed out on the previous two editions.
The Cheetahs aspire to better their quarter-final run in Egypt 2019, but first, they must navigate a challenging Group D that includes Senegal, Botswana, and DR Congo.
With African football’s competitive landscape, Rohr has modest expectations for his “ambitious” Benin Republic side.
“The goal was to face tough teams, hard to defeat, as all the qualified teams have proven to be capable of playing good football. There are no longer any small teams in Africa,” the former coach of Gabon, Niger Republic, and Burkina Faso asserted.
“As seen in the last AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire, underdogs were able to triumph over stronger opponents, and I expect the same in Morocco.”
“Though we are a smaller team, we have big ambitions. Our goal is to progress from the group. Every team at the last AFCON proved challenging to beat. The tournament in Cote d’Ivoire was phenomenal.”
Reflecting on the qualifiers for the Morocco 2025 competition, Rohr noted the effort required to secure a spot in a group that included three-time African champions Nigeria along with Rwanda and Libya.
He added: “The qualifiers posed significant challenges. Some countries have complex situations that make it tough to play there.”
“Nigeria experienced it, we experienced it; it was truly challenging. Nigeria lost its final match against Rwanda, which would have secured Rwanda’s qualification, but our superior goal difference saw us through.”
“We’re aiming for a successful AFCON. Benin reached the quarter-finals in 2019, and this time, the objective is to exit the group and perform at our best.”
Despite the circumstances surrounding his dismissal from the Nigerian coaching position, Rohr bears no animosity and wishes new manager Eric Chelle a prosperous tenure with the 2013 African champions.
“With a new coach in Eric Chelle, I wish him every success, and I trust he will maximise the potential of the country’s finest players.”
Benin Republic will commence their AFCON campaign on December 23 against DR Congo, two-time African champions, at Al Barid Stadium in Rabat, before taking on Botswana on December 27 and Senegal on December 30.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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