Just months after Algeria’s national team clinched victory in the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt in the summer of 2019, coach Jamel Belmadi expressed fiery ambitions, vowing to secure the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
In an interview with French channel “Canal Plus,” Belmadi stated, “Our goal in the World Cup will not be mere participation.
We will strive to give everything, and we won’t believe in the impossible. The players will not set any limits to their ambitions.”
Fast forward four years from Belmadi’s proclamation, and the Algerian coach has failed to achieve any significant accomplishments.
The Algerian national team exited the group stage in the Africa Cup of Nations held in Cameroon in January 2022, landing in fourth place in Group F, which included Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, and Sierra Leone.
The Greens secured only one point, scoring one goal and conceding four.
Two months later, in March 2022, Algeria faced a shocking blow, failing to qualify for the World Cup despite winning the first leg against Cameroon on their home turf.
However, Cameroon managed to overturn the deficit in the second leg with a 2-1 victory, dashing Algeria’s hopes of appearing in the global tournament.
Despite the setback, the Algerian Football Federation decided to renew its confidence in Belmadi, keeping him at the helm despite the resignation of the federation’s president, Charaf-Eddine Amara, following the World Cup qualification failure.
Belmadi faced another setback as he failed to secure a victory in any match during the second consecutive Africa Cup of Nations.
The Algerian national team finished at the bottom of Group D, which included Angola, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania, with the latter advancing as the best third-placed team.
After the early African exit, Belmadi, during a press conference after the Mauritania match, acknowledged responsibility but did not clarify his stance on continuing with the Algerian national team.
However, he hinted at the end of his tenure as the head coach.
Algerian journalist Mohammed Amqran Ismail commented on the premature exit, stating, “Algeria’s performance has been very poor since the first match.
The performance has been disastrous for over two years.”
He added in statements to Sky News Arabia, “The match between Algeria and Burkina Faso in September 2021 marked the beginning of the end for this team.
It failed to progress past the group stage in two consecutive Africa Cup of Nations editions and missed out on World Cup qualification.”
Ismail criticized Belmadi, saying, “The team faces particular issues in defense and midfield, evident in the complete overhaul Belmadi made in the squad against Mauritania, fielding five players, an excessive number in the middle of the tournament and in a decisive match.”
He concluded, “Belmadi announced his resignation to the players in the locker room.
I believe it is indeed a good ending, allowing the veteran players like Riyad Mahrez, Sofiane Feghouli, Rais M’Bolhi, and Islam Slimani to continue their journey with the national team after Belmadi’s withdrawal.”
The process of rejuvenation for the Algerian national team appears inevitable, given the recent disappointments under Belmadi’s six-year tenure.
As Algeria contemplates its football future, the need for comprehensive changes is underscored, with Belmadi’s departure becoming a necessity.
The coach’s prolonged period, now in its sixth year, has concluded, and the team must evolve rapidly with new alternatives in the face of advancing age and dwindling support.
