Djamel Belmadi throws in towel after Algeria’s AFCON 2023 debacle
Algeria head coach Djamel Belmadi has quit after the desert foxes crashed out of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations finals on Tuesday.
The 47-year-old coach told his players of his decision to step down in the changing room following their shock 1-0 defeat to Mauritania.
The state-run Algerie Presse Service stated on Wednesday, that Belmadi made the announcement shortly after the final whistle. The manager himself declined to confirm his plans at the post-match press conference, telling reporters: “When we return to the country I will tell you.” The Algerian squad is due to fly out of the Ivory Coast soonest.
Belmadi guided Algeria to AFCON glory in 2019 but the national team has underperformed at the last two tournaments.
They also failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, losing to Cameroon on away goals in the decisive playoff match.
Despite recent disappointments, Belmadi remained in charge thanks to an impressive early record as manager. Appointed in 2018, he went three years without losing a competitive game and won 43 of his 67 matches overall before the Mauritania defeat.
The loss to a side ranked 75th in the world capped a miserable group stage for Algeria. They drew their opening two Group D games and finished bottom of the standings behind Angola, Burkina Faso and Mauritania. Belmadi bemoaned his team’s lack of luck, saying: “Whenever they got a half chance they scored, whenever we got a chance we didn’t. That’s the mystery of football.”
