Nigeria Football Federation president, Amaju Pinnick has said the federation might appeal FIFA’s ruling to pay former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr $377,879.46 (N156,819,975) in compensation after the federation parted ways with the German manager last December.
This comes after the world football governing body ordered the NFF to pay Rohr the money as under 45 days for terminating his contract five months ago.
Rohr was sacked last December by the NFF few weeks to the start of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon despite meeting all the targets set by the football house prior to his sack.
The NFF agreed to pay the former Gabon and the Niger Republic gaffer until the end of his contract, which expires in December 2022 but Rohr, 68, filed a lawsuit with FIFA to demand more compensation saying he was sacked unfairly.
The 68-year-old had sought a total of £1m, but was granted $377,879.46 after a FIFA tribunal decided his claim was “partially accepted insofar as it is admissible.”
The ruling by the FIFA players’ status chamber added that the NFF would be sanctioned if Rohr was not paid in full within 45 days.
“If full payment (including all applicable interest) is not made within 45 days of notification of this decision, the respondent (the NFF) shall be imposed a restriction on receiving a percentage of development funding, up until the due amounts are paid,” said the FIFA decision.
Reacting to the decision, Pinnick, told PUNCH Sports Extra, that the federation might seek an appeal, saying they had paid Rohr some money before the termination of his contract.
“That’s not the true position,” Pinnick said of the ruling.
“FIFA declined most of his (Rohr’s) requests and said we should pay him $377,879.46 because we paid him six months in lieu.
“We are still debating whether to go to CAS and tell them to convert that money we paid him to what FIFA wants us to pay him.”
