Algeria coach Belmadi quits after Nations Cup exit

Djamel Belmadi has officially resigned from his post as the coach of the Algerian national team, as announced by Walid Sadi, the President of the Algerian Football Association, on Wednesday.

Ahram Online , Wednesday 24 Jan 2024,

Algeria s French coach Djamel Belmadi looks on during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 group D football match between Mauritania and Algeria at Stade de la Paix in Bouake on January 23, 2024. AFP

Belmadi's departure was expected following Algeria's early exit from the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations during the group stage.

The Algerian team suffered a surprising 1-0 defeat against Mauritania, resulting in them finishing at the bottom of their group with two points from two draws.

"I met with Belmadi to discuss the reasons behind the early exit, and we mutually agreed to terminate his contract," Sadi wrote on his official social media account on Wednesday.

Belmadi took charge of the Algerian team in August 2018 and guided them to victory in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations held in Egypt.

However, the team has struggled in subsequent editions, finishing at the bottom of their group for two consecutive tournaments.

In addition, they failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, being eliminated on the away goals rule after conceding a last-minute goal at home to Cameroon in a play-off match.

Belmadi is the fourth coaching casualty in a matter of hours at the tournament after Gambia’s Tom Saintfiet quit and then Ghana announced the sacking of Chris Hughton as well as Elephants coach Jean-Louis Gasset.

Check the AFCON matches and standings

Check the AFCON stats

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)

Search Keywords:

Ahram online

Algeria

Djamel Belmadi

Nations Cup

Short link:

ADD COMMENT

Your name:

Your email:

Comment’s Title:

Comment:

Ahram Online welcomes readers' comments on all issues covered by the site, along with any criticisms and/or corrections. Readers are asked to limit their feedback to a maximum of 4000 characters (roughly 200 words). All comments/criticisms will, however, be subject to the following code

We will not publish comments which contain rude or abusive language, libelous statements, slander and personal attacks against any person/s.
We will not publish comments which contain racist remarks or any kind of racial or religious incitement against any group of people, in Egypt or outside it.
We welcome criticism of our reports and articles but we will not publish personal attacks, slander or fabrications directed against our reporters and contributing writers.
We reserve the right to correct, when at all possible, obvious errors in spelling and grammar. However, due to time and staffing constraints such corrections will not be made across the board or on a regular basis.