All African representatives will be coached by local tacticians for the first time ever at the 2022 FIFA World Cup after the recent appointment of Walid Regragui as the Moroccan national team head coach.
Regragui landed the job after the sacking of Franco-Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodžić due to the poor relationship he had with most of the Atlas Lions players including Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech.
Five African teams including Tunisia, Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon and Morocco will represent the continent at the eagerly anticipated global showpiece slated for November 20 to December 18 in Qatar.
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Reigning African champions Senegal will be managed by Aliou Cisse, while Tunisia and Ghana will be tutored by Jalel Kadri and Otto Addo respectively.
Former Cameroon and Liverpool FC defender Rigobert Song will be in charge of the Indomitable Lions contingent in Qatar.
Below is a brief profile of the 5 African coaches.
Rigobert Song
Rigobert Song was appointed the head coach of the Indomitable Lions on March 1 on the orders of Cameroon’s head of state Paul Biya.
He replaced Portuguese international Antonio Conceicao who guided the team to a third place finish at the 2022 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament staged in Cameroon.
Prior to the appointment, Song had served as the head coach of the Cameroon Under 21 side.
The 46-year-old who has previously featured for top European clubs including English Premier League side Liverpool FC prefers the 4-4-2 formation.
Cameroon have been pooled in Group G alongside Brazil, Switzerland and Serbia.
Otto Addo
Otto Addo was appointed as Ghana’s coach on an interim basis on February 9, 2022 after the Black Stars horror show at the 2022 AFCON tournament under the tutelage of Milovan Rajevac.
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He will become the first Ghanian to grace the FIFA World Cup as both a coach and a player.
Addo has previously played for several Bundesliga teams including Hannover 96, Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund.
Addo will be assisted by former Nottingham Forest head coach Chris Houghton, George Boateng and Mas-Ud Didi Dramani.
Ghana have been pooled in Group H alongside Korea Republic, Uruguay and Portugal.
Walid Regragui
Walid Regragui is the man tasked with managing the Morocco national team in Qatar. The 46-year-old used to play for the Atlas Lions as a defender.
Jalel Kadri
Jalel Kadri was appointed the head coach of the Tunisian national team on January 30th this year.
Some of the teams that Kadri has coached before include the Tunisia Under 20 team, AS Djerba, and Damac FC. He prefers the 4-3-3 formation.
In Qatar, Tunisia will battle it out with title holders France, Denmark and Australia.
Aliou Cisse
Aliou Cisse is one of the most successful African national teams coaches. The 46-year-old was appointed as the coach of the Senegal national team in 2015.
Earlier this year, Cisse helped the Lions of Teranga to lift the AFCON trophy for the first time in their history.
Senegal clinched the coveted title after beating Egypt on post-match penalties. His coaching style is likened to that of French national team tactician Didier Deschamps.
Senegal will battle it out with Netherlands, Ecuador and hosts Qatar in Group A.
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