Somalia's Rachid Loustèque: "Progress and gain experience"

On their debut in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Somalia lost in Algeria on 16 November (1-3), then to Uganda in Morocco five days later (0-1). What is your assessment of those two games?

We put up good resistance. It's a shame we conceded two goals in the first half from mistakes, notably an own goal from one of our defenders (Ahmed Abdi) after 2 minutes. Then we managed to pull a goal back. It was important to score and to cause the Algerians problems, when everyone expected a heavy defeat for Somalia. Losing 3-1 to Algeria, given the big difference in level, is encouraging.

What can Somalia's ambitions be in this group?

We still have eight games to play. We are here to improve against opponents who have far more experience than us, some of whom are used to playing in the World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations. We will gain experience, test ourselves against good teams and try to pick up points. Somalia had never played in a World Cup qualifying group stage. It's a good opportunity to improve.

How did you become Somalia's head coach?

In July 2022, I had been in charge of the local national team for the two CHAN 2023 qualifiers against Tanzania (0-1, 1-2). At the same time, I had drawn up a project for the senior national team, which had no head coach. The federation was interested and was due to get back to me, but for months there was no response. In February there was a federation election and a new president was elected, and in May I was contacted again. There were discussions, my project was approved and I signed until the end of 2025.

"Somalis have a very strong bond with their country, even if they weren't born there"

Does the security situation in the country, one of the most dangerous in the world, prevent you from doing your job normally?

The security situation in Mogadishu has improved, even though there are still problems. I spend a lot of time there, I go to watch matches, since all the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 games take place in the capital, and I go to work at the federation… I go to restaurants, I go for a coffee, there are modern hotels… It's no longer the image of Somalia from a few years ago.

What is the standard of the domestic league?

It is professional, though some clubs are better structured than others. Somali clubs take part in African competitions, and for the games against Algeria and Uganda, most of the players were home-based. I have also called up expatriates, who play in Scandinavia, Tanzania, the United States, Malta or England. I have players who were born abroad and so hold dual nationality, and may also be eligible for another national team. But Somalis have a very strong bond with their country, even if they weren't born there and have never visited. I also rely on that to try to persuade them.

What will the national team's schedule look like over the coming months?

We will play in the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, but I don't know when they will start. The next World Cup qualifiers will take place in June. We want to keep playing friendlies, as we did in Morocco in October against Niger (0-3), Sierra Leone (0-2) and Libya (0-0). We need to make the most of the FIFA dates. I am also in charge of the local and Olympic teams. In short, there is no shortage of work, and it is interesting, because the federation wants things to move forward.

Alexis Billebault