Gernot Rohr, Super Eagles head coach has predicted that 2022 World Cup will be a difficult year for the Super Eagles if they qualify for the global football and the Africa Cup of Nations, both happening in 2022.
The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the global football calendar forcing the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to postpone several competitions, including the 2021 Afcon.
AFCON was scheduled to hold between June and July in 2021, but has been moved to January 2022, the same year the World Cup in Qatar will occur.
Rohr who in May, agreed a two-and-half-year contract extension with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to continue as the Super Eagles coach until December 2022, says that the hectic qualifying schedule in 2021 might affect the team the following year.
“The Africa Cup of Nations is postponed. It’s the same for everyone so it’s not a drawback,” Rohr told Girondins4ever.
“We have more time to prepare as well as for other countries. We can continue the play-offs and start the World Cup qualifiers at the same time.
“But it will be a difficult 2022 year because already in 2021, there are a lot of qualifying matches to play for the team.
“I think we will have time to play a few friendlies. In the year 2022, if we have qualified for the World Cup and the Afcon, there will be many, many games to play.
“So it will certainly be a difficult year.”