A Meeting of Local Coaches in AFCON Final: How Did Cisse and Belmadi Get Here?

The world will be watching as one of the two is sure to go down in the history books of local coaches to have won the Africa Cup of Nations. So, would it be Senegal’s Aliou Cisse or Djamel Belmadi of Algeria?

Both are deserving of it and bear the hallmark of true patriots where their nations are concerned. This year’s final has so much tie and resemblance embedded in it that any look at statistics is bound to get one intrigued especially between Cisse and Belmadi.

The pair share the same birth year, month, the 4-3-3 attacking system and had represented their national teams in their heydays and, quite fascinatingly, hung up their boots in the same year -2009.

This though is however not the reason why they’re spoken of at home including back pages in exalted terms.

His nomadic career aside, Champigny-sur-Mame-born Belmadi took just eleven months to endear himself to hard-to-impress Algerian football fans.

Paris St Germain, Manchester City, Marseille and Southampton counting as his former clubs talks of a playing career well documented. His managerial craft also seems headed that path and delivering the Africa Cup of Nations gong should all but confirm him a great to emulate in North Africa.

The Algerian federation and government have a strong faith in their home-based coaches. The appointment of Raba Madjer accentuates this. The erstwhile Porto man failed to rise up to the billing in his previous appointment in what was his fifth stint as boss of the Desert Foxes. Squad disunity in a dressing room littered with egos was another contributing factor which prompted Madjer’s dismissal beside failure to qualify for the World Cup. Outside influence was a conundrum dogging the Algerian game who at the time were in dire need of a unifier to shoot them back to the top strata they once occupied in the continent’s football history.

However, in 43-year-old Belmadi, they found one who was in fact reached out to by an under pressure FA supremo Kheireddine Zetchi encouraging him to apply for the vacant portfolio.

The experienced Carlos Queiroz and Vahid Halilhodžić were the other options in the event Zetchi could not lure Djamel to quit his lucrative job as coach of Al Duhail whom he’d garnered the Qatar Stars League title with four times.

As he would later divulge, Belmadi took up the offer to lead Algeria because he’s a patriot and couldn’t afford to turn his back on a country he’s called home the previous 43 years at a time they were teetering on the brink.

However, his nod came along with conditions which his employers needed him to abide by. The ex-Marseille attacker equates guiding Algeria to sitting on a hot brick and knew the pressure lying in wait with an unforgiving crowd of Algerian football backers there to contend with. He asked to be given a lengthy contract as against the short stints accorded to his predecessors and be allowed absolute control, autonomous of interference with his selections. The later is a privilege most gaffers do not get to enjoy but the FAF (Algerian Football body) still played along. Aware of the big personalities he would be dealing with, he imposed camp rules which among others, gave precedence to decency. Trivial issues like fanciful haircuts were greatly frowned upon including a ban on social media while on national team duty to avoid distraction. FC Brest’s midfielder Haris Belkebla could better tell of the national team coach’s no-nonsense approach to discipline, getting expelled for showing his bum on a live video just prior to the start of AFCON 2019.

While he advocated for a high sense of discipline, his charming Mr-Cool-Boy demeanour and ability to listen to players’ suggestions earned him unalloyed support in the dressing room. The rest became an easy ride. Steadily, he shepherded Algeria in topping their group during the qualifiers winning fifteen international games to date with only a single defeat to his name.

So he is unbeaten and would become one of few coaches to win the Africa Cup of Nations without biting the dust if he goes ahead to batter a formidable Senegal in a revenge match.

From averages to favourites, Djamel will still be credited for the ascension of Algeria regardless of the outcome of Friday’s promising pulsating fixture.

His opposing number in the dug-out Aliou Cisse is also very capable. He, like Belmadi, has an array of talent to count on. One such talent is Sadio Mane. Cisse’s rapport as manager of the Taranga Lions spans back in 2015. This means he has been on the hot seat for over three years.

The 2018 World Cup was believed to have been his time to deliver and when he failed, he had the Senegal media, FA and government to face. Derides landed on his head but unblemished, he stood his ground and asked to be offered a renewed deal in the face of pockets of opposition in the build-up to AFCON 2019.

He ended up having his wish granted but his employers did not take it easy with him –installing an immediate sacking clause without a severance payment if he fails to win the Africa Cup of Nations title.

Daunting as it may have been, Aliou accepted, determined to go beyond the quarter-finals he attained during the Gabon edition.

He topped the qualifiers without tasting defeat, finishing ahead of minnows and first-timers Madagascar with Algeria being the sole side they’ve lost to in the happenings in Cairo.

Cisse was captain of the Senegal 2002 team that were finalists in the AFCON of that year and reached the quarters of the 2002 World Cup.

Being an inspirational workaholic in midfield, he cut a desolate figure after squandering his spot-kick in the finals of the 2002 African Cup.

17 years on, there is that burning desire to amend that setback and he himself calls it “a debt to be paid.”

Below is a list of local coaches to have won the AFCON:

• Mourad Fahmy (Egypt – 1959)
• Yidnekatchew Tessema (Ethiopia – 1962)
• Charles Gyamfi (Ghana – 1963, 1965 and 1982)
• Adolphe Bibanzoulo (Congo – 1972)
• Fred Osam-Duodu (Ghana – 1978)
• Abdelhamid Kermali (Algeria – 1990)
• Yeo Martial (Cote d’Ivoire – 1992)
• Clive Barker (South Africa – 1996)
• Mahmoud El Gohary (Egypt – 1998)
• Hassan Shehata (Egypt – 2006, 2008 and 2010)
• Stephen Keshi (Nigeria – 2013)