Patrice Neveu: Togo boss defends outburst before Algeria qualifiers

Togo manager Patrice Neveu says he does not regret his outspoken response at Tuesday’s press conference, insisting the difficulties involved in rebuilding the country’s football must be acknowledged.

The 72-year-old Frenchman was speaking after announcing his squad for Togo’s two Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying matches against Algeria on 14 and 17 November, the third and fourth fixtures in the group.

Asked whether qualification had been set as his objective, Neveu strongly challenged the suggestion. His comments spread widely on social media, but in an interview with Afrik-Foot he said he stood by what he had said.

Neveu, who guided Guinea to the quarter-finals of the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations and Gabon to the last 16 in 2021, said the reconstruction of Togolese football was facing practical problems. He stressed that he was not looking for excuses or “whining”, but wanted to “move Togolese football forward”.

The limited pool of available players has made injuries particularly difficult to manage. Zuberu Sharani of Hapoel Jerusalem suffered a muscle injury on Thursday and will miss the training camp.

“My pool is normally made up of Under-23 players playing abroad, but they failed to get through the first round of the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Libya, who had only one player from abroad,” Neveu said.

“This is not about complaining. We have to look at the reality on the ground. The Under-15s have been eliminated, the Under-17s have been eliminated, the Under-19s have been eliminated and the Under-23s have been eliminated.

“So, to replace Sharani, I am taking a local player. I follow ASKO Kara’s matches and the African competitions. He is a good 24-year-old, but he does not have the same experience.”

Neveu also questioned the scheduling of the third and fourth qualifying rounds, with Togo’s matches against Algeria only three days apart.

Algeria are the group favourites after beating Zambia 3-1 before drawing 2-2 with Burundi. Neveu said that emphasising the strength of their opponents should not be interpreted as surrendering before the ties.

Despite the challenges, he believes the rebuild is progressing. Several dual-nationality players have joined the squad in recent months, including former OM central defender Lilian Brassier of Eintracht Frankfurt, who has been selected for the Algeria matches.

Neveu said his main concern was that impatience over Togo’s failure to reach the Africa Cup of Nations for nearly 10 years could undermine a long-term project. Positive friendly results may have increased expectations and pressure, even though reconstruction has always been his priority.

“My fear is that we will not be understood and that everything will collapse,” he said, pointing to progress made by Mauritania and Guinea, who rose from 90th to 22nd in the FIFA rankings in 2007 during his time in charge.

He also cited Hugo Broos, who had time to rebuild South African football between 2021 and 2026, helping the Bafana Bafana reach the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals and the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup.

“I see hundreds of children playing on empty lots every morning, but we have no coaching structure,” Neveu added. “When I leave the country, I want these things to be in place to secure the future of Togolese football.”