Eagles head coach Rohr clashes with Muslim players over fasting ahead of South Africa game

SUPER Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has become involved with several of his players over their decision to observe the Ramadan fast this week while the team prepares for a crucial African Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa.

On Saturday June 10, the Eagles face Bafana Bafana in a crunch game at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo and coach Rohr is eager to have all his players fully fit for the encounter. However, the Muslim members of the squad will want to fast on the day, which Mr Rohr fears may affect their performance.

During a recent friendly game against Togo in Paris, Coach Rohr allowed Ahmed Musa and Shehu Abdullahi to observe the mandatory Ramadan fast but they were substituted at half time.  As the important game against South Africa approaches, Mr Rohr has told the duo not to observe the fast on the day of the match as they are very pivotal to his plans.

However, the players affected have not agreed with Coach Rohr’s demands, with Musa particularly not keen on skipping the fast which forbids him from eating from dusk till dawn. Other players affected are Abdullahi and Alhassan Ibrahim and it is not yet clear if the coach will end up dropping them for the game.