Welcome to Africanews

Please select your experience

Watch Live

News

news

Who are the 4 African coaches leading their team to the World Cup?

Who are the 4 African coaches leading their team to the World Cup?
Cameroon soccer federation president Samuel Eto'o, right, and Cameroon coach Rigobert Song celebrate after the World Cup 2022 qualifying soccer match against Algeria.   -  
Copyright © africanews
Credit: AP

qatar-world-cup

Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia will represent the continent at the next #QWC. Did you know that out of these 5 teams, 4 have local coaches?

Cameroon

Former star Rigobert Song was chosen last month to head Cameroon's national football team. He is one of only three African players to have played in four FIFA World Cup (1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010), along with teammates Samuel Eto'o and Jacques Songo'o.

The 45 year-old former defender won two Africa Cup of Nations in a row (2000 and 2002) as captain of the Cameroonian squad.

Ghana

Otto Addo is a football star in Ghana and in Germany. Bramfelder SV, Hannover 96, Dortmund and Mainz 05 are just some of the Bundesliga clubs with which Ghanaian-German shined. He ended his player career in 2008 to switch instead towards a scouting and coaching career.

The 46-year-old has become the first Ghanaian footballer to qualify for the World Cup as a player and as a coach.

Senegal

Aliou Cissé does no longer need an introduction. The Senegalese coach won the last AFCON in Cameroon in February. The first continental title for the West African nation. Cissé was the team's captain and missed the decisive penalty in a shootout when Senegal lost the 2002 AFCON final against Cameroon.

During his player years, the midfielder played in French clubs like PSG and Lille. He wore the jerseys of Portsmouth and Birmingham, two Premier League clubs.

Tunisia

Coach Jalel Kadri is maybe the least famous compared to the three other African coaches heading to the FIFA 2022 World Cup. However, the 50-year-old also has a proven track record. His international managing career brought him to Saudi Arabia when he was at the helm of the Ansar Al Madina club. He also worked in Lebanon and in Libya with Al-Ahly Tripoli. He won his spurs on the national scene where he coached first division club ES Zarzis or Tunisian clubs like JS Kairouan.

Kadri is now tasked with leading the Carthage Eagles as far as possible at the World Cup in Qatar.