Coronavirus: Rohr hopeful Austria won’t stop Musa from friendlies

Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, is hopeful Austria’s COVID-19 protocols won’t prevent captain Ahmed Musa from featuring in the international friendly games against Ivory Coast and Tunisia in Austria in October.

President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, on Wednesday, announced the friendlies against the Ivoirians and the Carthage Eagles would take place on October 9 and 13 respectively, in Austria.

The games will be played under strict COVID-19 protocols, with reports suggesting Rohr may only invite Europe-based stars for the games.

But Rohr is hopeful of having Saudi Arabia-based Musa available for the games.

“I still hope to have my captain Ahmed Musa, who plays in Saudi Arabia. It will also depend on Austria’s own travel restrictions,” Rohr told France Football.

The Franco-German stated that he might be tempted to invite a long list of players, having scouted fresh faces during the lockdown.

“During this period, we scouted all the time, we had video conferences with the staff but it does not replace the matches.

“I risk publishing a numerically larger list than usual, to the extent that there could be last-minute packages,” Rohr added.

The friendlies serve as preparations for the rescheduled 2021 Africa Cup of Nations double-header qualifiers against Sierra Leone in November.