Coach Gernot Rohr has dismissed suggestions that he instructed the Super Eagles players to throw away their final 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Group B game against Madagascar.

With the Super Eagles already through to the knockout rounds following wins against Burundi and Guinea in their opening two fixtures, the German opted to rest some key players and handed game time to fringe players in the squad.

And this backfired as they lost through goals from Nomenjanahary and Andriamatsinoro.

Rohr and the players came under attack from the media and some fans noted that the German is married to a Malagasy.

In an interview with the print edition of German newspaper Mannheimer Morgen this week, Rohr explained : ”Some people really wanted the title, but of course we did not. There was a lack of trifles. The success hung by the thread.

”But some criticism cannot be taken seriously. Bad tongues have claimed that we deliberately lost to Madagascar because my wife came from there. That is absurd.”

After the defeat to Madagascar, the Super Eagles upped the tempo and won two difficult matches against Cameroon and South Africa before losing to eventual winners Algeria in the semifinal.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel