The Algerian Football Federation seems already to have turned the page on Djamel Belmadi. Although he has not yet officially stepped down, the FAF has set up an ad-hoc commission to study candidates for the position of Fennecs coach.
Algeria in search of a new coach
Djamel Belmadi has yet to step down as Algeria coach. After the Fennecs were eliminated in the first round of the AFCON 2023, the coach had agreed with the Algerian Federation to resign, according to FAF president Walid Sadi. But the situation changed when Belmadi refused to leave. The local press reported that he had to pay 6 monthly instalments, i.e. 1.25 million euros, to terminate his lease, which runs until 2026. The 2019 African champion then entered into an arm wrestling match with the FAF. Although the matter has not yet been settled, the FAF is already looking for a new coach for the Algerian national team.
"The President of the FAF, Mr Walid Sadi, will install an Ad-Hoc Commission this Monday, charged with examining applications for the position of national coach of the senior national team. The commission will submit its conclusions within a period not exceeding ten days", states the official press release published on the Federation's website on Sunday February 4.
The names of some of the candidates have also leaked out. Former Morocco coach Vahid Halilhodzic and former Croatia assistant coach Branko Ivankovic from the 1990s have been mentioned by Algerian media outlet La Gazette du Fennec. Belmadi took charge of the Algerian national team in 2018. He won the AFCON in 2019 in Egypt. However, he failed to qualify the Algerian team for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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سيشرف رئيس الاتحاد الجزائري لكرة القدم (فاف )، السيد وليد صادي هذا الاثنين 5 فيفري 2024، على تنصيب لجنة مكلفة بدراسة الترشيحات لمنصب المدرب الوطني للمنتخب الوطني الأول .
هذا وستقدم اللجنة نتائج الدراسة في غضون فترة لا تتجاوز عشرة أيام.
#DesertWarriors |… pic.twitter.com/UiAh2eKW39— Équipe d'Algérie de football (@LesVerts) February 4, 2024
