Algerian FA “Contact” Qatar Title-winning Gaffer for Coaching Void

Djamel Belmadi could leave Qatari league champions Al-Duhail to fill Algeria national team’s coaching void.

The North Africans are in the hunt for a new man to occupy the vacancy created by the departure of Rabah Madjer, sacked following string of unprepossessing displays.

Madjer had the axe wielded on him after the Desert Foxes lost four straight exhibition games against minnows Saudi Arabia and Iran, the Republic of Cape Verde and European champions Portugal – a thing that had the football federation furious and seething.

And in the hope to rectify that as the 2019 Nations Cup qualifiers nears on, the Algeria FA had made it top of their priorities to recruit a coach soonest.

A raft of names have been linked with the job with Portuguese-born and current Iran head coach Carlos Querioz one of those.

Super Eagles’ Gernot Rohr is another touted with taking up the hot-seat but it looks Qatar-based Djamel Belmadi is now favourite.

Several reports monitored from Algiers suggest a move for Belmadi, who won Duhail the Qatar Stars’ League gong, is on the cards with one tabloid even claiming Kheireddine Zetchi, the Algeria FA supremo, has phoned the 42-year-old making him offer for the portfolio.

Quoting an insider from within the federation’s headquarters, the paper said Zetchi reached the aforesaid gaffer in the early hours of Wednesday morning in what they said was the pair’s first direct chat.

Despite his contract elapsing June 2020, the erstwhile Desert Foxes’ star is understood to be keen on lead his country for the remaining qualifier campaign but is believed to be also little apprehensive about accepting it.

Algeria face race against time to name a new man in charge ahead of their thrilling game against Gambia between September 7^th, 8^th or 9^th at the Independence Stadium in Banjul, the West African nation’s capital.