Benin head coach Gernot Rohr claims his players will be extra-motivated for their World Cup qualifier against Nigeria on Tuesday after Hugo Broos’ comments last week.
Benin are on the verge of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time ever, and will book their place in North America with a win over Nigeria.
Should Benin fail to get the win, then Bafana Bafana could sneak into the competition provided they beat Rwanda on the same day.
Before drawing against Zimbabwe last Friday, Broos was confident his team – who were on equal terms with Benin, but now trail by two points – could qualify as he didn’t think they could win both of their games.
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“Benin cannot win both games because they play against Nigeria and Rwanda away from home. So, the game on Friday is so important for us to win,” Broos said in a press conference before the match against Zimbabwe.
Those comments did not go down well with the Benin players. “When they heard Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos say that Benin cannot win against Rwanda and Nigeria, my players were very upset,” Rohr said, as per Nigerian publication The Guardian.
“They are now within reach of a FIFA World Cup ticket. We look forward to a grand match against Nigeria in Uyo.”
Rohr has taken Broos’s comments and immediately weaponised them. He’s handed his players the perfect emotional ammunition for the biggest game of their lives.
For Benin, Tuesday is a chance to prove the South African coach wrong and show everyone that their climb to the top is not a fluke. Now, Bafana Bafana’s fate rests entirely on how hard the motivated Squirrels play.
Sport
