Gernot Rohr was sacked to avoid a disaster that would have happened with the Super Eagles, according to NFF president Amaju Pinnick.
On Sunday, the NFF finally fired Rohr, 68, with a year left on his contract as Eagles coach.
“We didn’t want a disaster to happen before taking the decision,” Pinnick said in an interview on Channels Television.
“It wasn’t an individual decision, it was a collective decision from the (Executive) committee.”
The NFF president admitted team discipline under Rohr was seriously compromised.
“We did everything that we could, but one major factor was that discipline in the team is lost practically,” he said.
“In the dressing room, discipline in the team was at its lowest and once you remove discipline, that foundation in the team has cracked.
“Players now talk back at you, players believe that they are indiscipline.
“A lot of factors that will now militate against the team.”
Even though Rohr qualified Nigeria to the 2021 AFCON, the Eagles have been far from convincing even against lesser rated opposition like Central African Republic and Sierra Leone.
The Super Eagles face two major competitions beginning with the delayed 2021 AFCON next month, when they are drawn in a group that has seven-time champions Egypt and Sudan.
In March, they will also do battle for a place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
