Somalia Appoint Abdellatif Salef As New Head Coach For Ocean Stars

The Somalia Football Federation (SFF) has confirmed the appointment of Morocco’s Abdellatif Salef as the new national team coach.

The Moroccan trainer comes in as Bashir Hayford’s replacement following the Ghanaian resignation due to instability in the horn of Africa country.

“We are confident in his ability he knows Africa and will be easy for him, he will be working till 2023 Africa Cup of Nations ,” SSF General Secretary, Yusuf Muhudin said during the unveiling.

Salef on his part thanked Somali Football Federation authorities for giving him such a great opportunity to lead Ocean Stars.

“Somalia is a football nation. Since my arrival in Mogadishu, I have always seen children playing on the streets of Mogadishu, so it shows that Somalia is a football-mad country” the coach said.

Salef brings with him an assistant, a  goalkeeper coach and medical person.He beat competition from Uganda Mike Nutebifor the Ocean Stars job.

His immediate assignment will be FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 opener against Oman on June 20th followed by 2021 CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup finals set for July 3-18th in Ethiopia.

Somalia are currently ranked number 186 globally in the latest rankings released by World football governing body in April.

Somalia have not participated in the campaigns for the Africa Cup of Nations since 2010, when it was a joint qualification with the World Cup.