Head coach of Benin Republic national team, Gernot Rohr has opened up about playing against Nigeria’s Super Eagles in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Benin Republic are forced to play their home games in a neutral venue after the Confederation of African Football, CAF, ruled that their stadiums are substandard.
The Benin Football Federation then adopted the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan as their home ground for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
However, Rohr has now opened up about the challenge of playing home matches in Abidjan, where he insisted that people were shouting Osimhen’s name on each goal post when Benin played 1-1 with Nigeria some months ago.
Speaking recently at his post-match press conference after Benin ‘s 2-2 draw with Zimbabwe, Rohr said: “We never lost in Abidjan, but when you see the last game against Nigeria where we played a 1-1 draw, there were more people from Nigeria than Benin in the stadium.
“Behind each goal, people were shouting ‘Osimhen, Osimhen, Osimhen’ — it was like playing an away game for us. We were not really at home.
“But my team was able to manage the situation and I hope that next Tuesday will be the same”.
Benin will face South Africa in Abidjan on Tuesday, while Nigeria will take on Zimbabwe in Uyo.
