AFCON 2023: 7 coaches who lost their jobs

By
Frank Appiah
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AFCON 2023: 7 coaches who lost their jobs
AFCON 2023: coaches who lost their jobs
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The culmination of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) brought not only joy for Ivory Coast but also marked the end of coaching tenures for several national teams.

A thrilling final on Sunday saw Ivory Coast emerge victorious with a come-from-behind win over Nigeria, overshadowing William Troost-Ekong’s first-half heroics.

Nigerians have shown clear signs of displeasure towards their coach Jose Peseiro after failing to win for the Super Eagles their fourth AFCON title.

While his future remains uncertain, there are coaches who have been confirmed dismissed or resigned either during or after the tournament.

Jean-Louis Gasset – Ivory Coast

After Ivory Coast’s unexpected 4-0 defeat against Equatorial Guinea, Jean-Louis Gasset faced dismissal in a significant upset, especially considering Ivory Coast was the host nation.

Despite initial concerns of being eliminated, a twist of fate occurred when Morocco secured a win over Zambia, granting Ivory Coast a lifeline as one of the best third-placed teams. In the search for a new coach to guide them through the remainder of the tournament, attempts to secure the services of former boss Herve Renard from the French Women’s Nations team proved unsuccessful. As a result, Emerse Fae was appointed, and remarkably, he led Ivory Coast to a victorious turnaround.

 

Chris Hughton – Ghana

Chris Hughton faced termination from his coaching position in Ghana following the team’s lackluster performance in the group stages of the AFCON tournament. The team failed to secure a victory, suffering a 2-1 defeat to Cape Verde and drawing 2-2 with both Egypt and Mozambique.

This underwhelming performance proved insufficient to advance to the next stage of the tournament. Significantly, this group stage exit marked the second consecutive time the four-time champions had failed to progress, echoing their elimination in the 2021 edition.

Rui Vitoria – Egypt

Egypt Football Association (EFA) announced the dismissal of Rui Vitoria, along with his entire backroom staff following a board of directors meeting. The decision was prompted by Egypt’s disappointing exit in the round of 16, where they suffered a penalty shootout defeat to DR Congo.

 

Notably, Egypt, boasting a record seven AFCON titles, has been ardently pursuing another trophy since their last triumph in 2010 when they defeated Ghana. The recent setback in the tournament increased the pressure, leading to the decision to part ways with Vitoria and his coaching team.

 

Adel Amrouche –  Tanzania

Adel Amrouche faced suspension from his coaching position with Tanzania after a 3-0 defeat to Morocco. The decision was connected to an 8-match ban imposed by CAF. This ban was a consequence of Amrouche making inappropriate comments about the Morocco team as well as CAF, leading to his subsequent sacking.

 

Tom Saintfiet – Gambia

Tom Saintfiet chose to resign after Gambia’s exit in the group stages of the tournament. His decision to step down came in the aftermath of a defeat to Cameroon, marking the end of Gambia’s campaign. Notably, Saintfiet had previously led the team to the quarter-finals in the prior edition held in Cameroon during AFCON 2021.

Djamel Belmadi – Algeria

Djamel Belmadi ended his association with the Algerian national team following a surprising 1-0 loss to Mauritania, resulting in Algeria’s premature exit from the tournament. Despite guiding the team to glory in 2019, Belmadi faced challenges in sustaining their success, evident in their elimination in the 2021 edition and this year’s competition.

Jalel Kadri – Tunisia

Jalel Kadri resigned from his position as the head coach of Tunisia after a lackluster campaign that resulted in the team finishing last in their group without securing a victory.