Algeria: "Who is responsible?" Belmadi turns up the heat again over Sidi Moussa
Leaving for Constantine, Djamel Belmadi did not hold back over the state of the Sidi Moussa training centre
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It is the talking point among a good number of Algeria fans right now: what happened to make Djamel Belmadi want to move a national team training camp abroad? With the Greens set to host Tanzania first, in the final round of 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, before travelling to Senegal for a friendly, the coach was left considerably irritated by the state of the Sidi Moussa technical centre. The base for the national team every time they play at home, the centre was deemed unfit for use, mainly because of the state of the pitches. That situation prompted the national team boss to want to take the squad to prepare in Tunisia, before the Sports Ministry stepped in.
Read more on the subject: Algeria's squad to face Tanzania and Senegal
"The Sidi Moussa centre is not suitable for this camp. The pitches are not ready to host the national team. So we have to find another solution", Belmadi fumed. In the end, the team will prepare directly in Constantine, where the match against Tanzania is scheduled. As they left for the north of the country, the former international said he was delighted to bring the national team to fans who have not seen it for years, without appearing resigned to the situation. "We are happy to go to Constantine because we have seen proud people who are doing everything they can to give us working conditions worthy of the national team", he said in front of an improvised mixed zone, before continuing: "I am not going to lie and say these are the working conditions of a national team, but it is the best we could find for this camp."
🎙️ The full interview with national team coach Djamel belmadi ⤵️⤵️ pic.twitter.com/ZZJvh4s1Rk
— DZPOWERs12®💯🇩🇿 (@DZPOWERs12) September 4, 2023
"It is up to the person responsible to answer for it"
Inevitably, the question of the state of the Sidi Moussa technical centre has come up once again. It gave Djamel Belmadi the chance to set the record straight and spell out who is responsible for what. "I manage the technical side. I am the national team coach. Sometimes people forget that", he first reminded them, before continuing: "The question is simple, it has to be put very clearly to those in charge, namely: who is responsible for the Sidi Moussa centre? Especially the pitches. And as soon as we have the answer, it is up to them to answer for it."
It is a thinly veiled message calling for action against those who failed to do their job so that the Sidi Moussa centre could host the national team. While Belmadi seems for now to have moved on from this episode to focus on preparing for the two upcoming matches, there is no doubt he will be paying very close attention to the work carried out at the centre ahead of the next international break in October, and then the one in November, which will kick off 2026 World Cup qualifying.