The struggle of African coaches in their search for recognition

[Zeppo]

The struggle of African coaches

Ever since South Africa was awarded the 2010 World Cup, the organisers' oft-repeated desire has been for a pan-African World Cup.

On the coaching front, they are going to be disappointed because Algerian Rabah Saadane will stick out like a sore thumb in June as the only African coach among the continent's six finalists.

It would have been two but Nigeria's Shaibu Amodu was forced out after the Nations Cup earlier this year. We can also safely predict that the Ivory Coast's new coach won't be African, with Mark Hughes, Sven-Goran Eriksson and Bernd Schuster apparently the three main contenders.

A look at Africa's World Cup history, not to mention tradition, should have prepared us for such a reality.

(continue)

[Bourbon]

Interesting.

While North African federations have handed the reins to a compatriot on more than half their 13 World Cup visits, those in sub-Sahara have proved mightily reluctant. It wasn't until 2002 that a sub-Saharan nation first travelled to the finals with their own coach, as two buses came along at once - Festus Onigbinde driving Nigeria, Jomo Sono at the helm for South Africa.

But i think this is a major part of it.

What the Swede does have though is top-level European experience - and that's what many African federations are after, believing that superior innovations, tactics and discipline lie outside the continent (don't mention Berti Vogts to Nigerian fans).

So too, we're often told, a perceived imperviousness to any tribal or shady influences (e.g. putting players in a national team simply so as to inflate their transfer fee).

I get the impression that insularity and tribalism rel rampant. The other question is how qualified these coaches are...do they have the motivation to go and get coaching badges?

In addition, winning world cups at youth level tends to be easier when the athleticism levels naturally higher. And frankly...at those age brackets.....it eh have no question as to who the superior athletes are.

A big question really is...which African coaches have international qualifications and international experience? Can they be expected to be given exposure to gain this experience outside of their home land?

[Deeks]

Some of the Euro coaches never had international experience. They came straight for clubs in Euro. Look, I understand the tribalism and regionalism thing. That is a dissapointing issue, but if a coach can lead in the African Championship and WC qualifying, why can't he coach a WC team. How come the N. African does use local coaches.

[PantherX]

The struggle of African coaches

Ever since South Africa was awarded the 2010 World Cup, the organisers' oft-repeated desire has been for a pan-African World Cup.

On the coaching front, they are going to be disappointed because Algerian Rabah Saadane will stick out like a sore thumb in June as the only African coach among the continent's six finalists.

It would have been two but Nigeria's Shaibu Amodu was forced out after the Nations Cup earlier this year. We can also safely predict that the Ivory Coast's new coach won't be African, with Mark Hughes, Sven-Goran Eriksson and Bernd Schuster apparently the three main contenders.

A look at Africa's World Cup history, not to mention tradition, should have prepared us for such a reality.

(continue)

Maybe they should try to get work in England?  It's a good place for foreign coaches to find work.

[E-man]

Eriksson named Ivory Coast manager

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/eriksson-named-ivory-coast-manager/article1515059/

[Touches]

Watch the comments from this poster...is d same with us.

Just change up the words and it fits us...

Also both Caribbean countries made it with a foreign coach.

Some simple facts.

African teams choose who they believe to be the best candidate. This will usually be an individual who has experience of managing at the very top level of Elite football. Unfortunately for African Coaches, that level of competition exists primarlity in Europe.

Therefore they will go with the best European experienced coach they can acquire. They did not always attract a high calibre of coach in the past from Europe. But I believe more managers are willing to take on such a job now having seen the wonders it has done for Guus Hiddink with SK, and the likes of Metsu within Africa.

The standard of Afican International football ahs also improved durastically in the last 20 years, with more and more migration of players into the european leagues. Particularly in the 1990's in France and Belgium.

With most top starts playing in European leagues, they need to eb managed by somebody who has coached at their level of football. Until African coaches make their mark on European teams...this will not happen.

Perhaps we will see this generation of players become successful managers in the future?

The likes of Geroge Weah and Adebi Pele could easily have found managerial jobs in Europe but chose not to, why may this be?

 

[Observer]

Watch the comments from this poster...is d same with us.

Just change up the words and it fits us...

Also both Caribbean countries made it with a foreign coach.

Some simple facts.

African teams choose who they believe to be the best candidate. This will usually be an individual who has experience of managing at the very top level of Elite football. Unfortunately for African Coaches, that level of competition exists primarlity in Europe.

Therefore they will go with the best European experienced coach they can acquire. They did not always attract a high calibre of coach in the past from Europe. But I believe more managers are willing to take on such a job now having seen the wonders it has done for Guus Hiddink with SK, and the likes of Metsu within Africa.

The standard of Afican International football ahs also improved durastically in the last 20 years, with more and more migration of players into the european leagues. Particularly in the 1990's in France and Belgium.

With most top starts playing in European leagues, they need to eb managed by somebody who has coached at their level of football. Until African coaches make their mark on European teams...this will not happen.

Perhaps we will see this generation of players become successful managers in the future?

The likes of Geroge Weah and Adebi Pele could easily have found managerial jobs in Europe but chose not to, why may this be?

Weah and Adebi have never dabbled in coaching so its a career choice.

WC 2006 Angola had an African Coach and Togo could have had an African coach as well.
For those who remember Keshi had a falling out with Abebayor, after being accused by the player of trying to force him to sign on as his agent.

Nigeria had an African coach Festus Onigbinde  but failed to win a game in WC 2002 and then failed to qualify for WC 2006.
Shuaibu Amodu handled the Nigerian squad at the African nations Cup

[CK1]

Watch the comments from this poster...is d same with us.

Just change up the words and it fits us...

Also both Caribbean countries made it with a foreign coach.

Some simple facts.

African teams choose who they believe to be the best candidate. This will usually be an individual who has experience of managing at the very top level of Elite football. Unfortunately for African Coaches, that level of competition exists primarlity in Europe.

Therefore they will go with the best European experienced coach they can acquire. They did not always attract a high calibre of coach in the past from Europe. But I believe more managers are willing to take on such a job now having seen the wonders it has done for Guus Hiddink with SK, and the likes of Metsu within Africa.

The standard of Afican International football ahs also improved durastically in the last 20 years, with more and more migration of players into the european leagues. Particularly in the 1990's in France and Belgium.

With most top starts playing in European leagues, they need to eb managed by somebody who has coached at their level of football. Until African coaches make their mark on European teams...this will not happen.

Perhaps we will see this generation of players become successful managers in the future?

The likes of Geroge Weah and Adebi Pele could easily have found managerial jobs in Europe but chose not to, why may this be?

Weah and Adebi have never dabbled in coaching so its a career choice.

WC 2006 Angola had an African Coach and Togo could have had an African coach as well.
For those who remember Keshi had a falling out with Abebayor, after being accused by the player of trying to force him to sign on as his agent.

Nigeria had an African coach Festus Onigbinde  but failed to win a game in WC 2002 and then failed to qualify for WC 2006.
Shuaibu Amodu handled the Nigerian squad at the African nations Cup

IThis is not necessarily accurate. There are many selections of European coaches made based on the colonization history that Europe is best for Black Nations. There are many capable African coaches, but it's easier to sell the people a European coach than one of their own. Money is the other factor- they will pay a European big money to do the job, and offef pocket change to lhe indiginous coach. This is an issue that I was privy to in a meeting with Abedi Pele; Baluawa Kalusha and other former top African players at the 2008 Nations Cup. A lot of the Europeans who get those jobs are not among the top coaches anywhere else in the world. There are many African coaches with the playing pedigree and coaching badges who are capable. Why can they not have the opportunity, rather than some recycled european has been.

[Zeppo]

This is not necessarily accurate. There are many selections of European coaches made based on the colonization history that Europe is best for Black Nations. There are many capable African coaches, but it's easier to sell the people a European coach than one of their own. Money is the other factor- they will pay a European big money to do the job, and offef pocket change to lhe indiginous coach. This is an issue that I was privy to in a meeting with Abedi Pele; Baluawa Kalusha and other former top African players at the 2008 Nations Cup. A lot of the Europeans who get those jobs are not among the top coaches anywhere else in the world. There are many African coaches with the playing pedigree and coaching badges who are capable. Why can they not have the opportunity, rather than some recycled european has been.

But the fact remains that if a country wants to choose a manager who has coaching experience at the highest level -- Champions League, Spain, Italy, England, Germany, etc. -- then there are very few Africans to choose from, if any.

[CK1]

This is not necessarily accurate. There are many selections of European coaches made based on the colonization history that Europe is best for Black Nations. There are many capable African coaches, but it's easier to sell the people a European coach than one of their own. Money is the other factor- they will pay a European big money to do the job, and offef pocket change to lhe indiginous coach. This is an issue that I was privy to in a meeting with Abedi Pele; Baluawa Kalusha and other former top African players at the 2008 Nations Cup. A lot of the Europeans who get those jobs are not among the top coaches anywhere else in the world. There are many African coaches with the playing pedigree and coaching badges who are capable. Why can they not have the opportunity, rather than some recycled european has been.

But the fact remains that if a country wants to choose a manager who has coaching experience at the highest level -- Champions League, Spain, Italy, England, Germany, etc. -- then there are very few Africans to choose from, if any.

The point I'm making is that many of the coaches who have been chosen to coach many of those African countries are not the top level european coaches. . These federations have to be willing to give their indiginous coaches the opportunity. This issue also reflects the challenges that Black coaches across the board in gaining opportunities to coach at the higher levels globally. A few have been given one opportunity and then they are gone....european coaches who fail timme and time again get multiple opporunities to continue, they go from one place to the next way more easily than their non european counterparts.Erricson did rubbish with MEXICO IN A RELATIVELY WEAK REGION, NOW SOME AFRICAN COUNTRY IS CONSIDERING HIM TO COACH THEIR TEAM IN THE WORLD CUP...RUBBISH!!!. SOME OF THESE COUNTRIES must HAVE THE BALLLS TO STAND BEHING AND SUPPORT THEIR INDIGINOUS COACHES....THE VERY SAME WAY THAT THE US DOES WITH THEIR HOME GROWN COACHES WHO HAVE LITTLE TO NONE IN THE HIGH LEVEL PLAYING EXPERIENCE; INTERNATIONAL COACHING BADGE OR COACHING EXPERIENCE IN THE TOP LEVEL OF THE EUROPEAN LEAGUES. As USSF GIVES THEIR COACHES THE OPPORTUNITY SO SHOULD THESE AFRICAN COUNTRIES.

[Zeppo]

With Rajevac in charge, Ghana could cause upsets

When Milovan Rajevac applied for a vacant coaching position with Ghana, friends told him his lack of English language skills would harm his chances.

Yet conducting all his work through a translator, the former Red Star Belgrade defender has successfully overcome the language barrier to guide the west African nation to two major championships since his arrival in August 2008.

Despite spending both his playing and coaching careers in Serbia, Rajevac will nonetheless sit on the Black Stars bench at the World Cup in South Africa, exactly five months after reaching the African Cup of Nations final in Angola.

(continue)

[CK1]

This article speaks to exactly the point I'm making on this topic; who is this coach?
You can look across the US and the issue is the same...where are the Black/ Minority coaches? There are none qualified to coach in the USL or MLS? The coach appointed to the Nigerian team failed to qualify Sweden for the world cup; yet the Nigerian coach who qualified Nigeria was replaced by this coach. In addition, the Nigerian was paid $100,000. for the entire qualifying campaign, and now they are paying this new coach $1.5 million for 4 months.

[Observer]

This article speaks to exactly the point I'm making on this topic; who is this coach?
You can look across the US and the issue is the same...where are the Black/ Minority coaches? There are none qualified to coach in the USL or MLS? The coach appointed to the Nigerian team failed to qualify Sweden for the world cup; yet the Nigerian coach who qualified Nigeria was replaced by this coach. In addition, the Nigerian was paid $100,000. for the entire qualifying campaign, and now they are paying this new coach $1.5 million for 4 months.

Very good points made.