Starting today, 24 dreams take flight, each pinned to the wings of strategy, leadership, and the tactical wizardry of the men on the sidelines, the coach.
You see, to win in football, it is not always about the star players and the talent on the pitch. The headmaster we have all come to know as the coach has a big role to play.
I wish I had the luxury of time and space to profile all the 24 men shouldering the heavy burden of delivering success for their teams, but since I don’t, I will restrict my who’s who to the three men who are plotting Zambia’s downfall in Group F.
Walid Regradui – Morocco
Regradui is considered as one of the best things that has happened to Moroccan football. This is a man who became the first person to take an African side to the semi-final of the World Cup.
Given their success at the World Cup in Qatar over a year ago, the weight of expectation is high on Morocco but Regradui doesn’t strike you as a man under pressure.
He has been successful everywhere he has coached, winning league titles at FUS Rabat, Qatari side Al-Duail, and Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca whom he guided to the Champions League title too.
Morocco have not won the AfCON since 1976, could Regradui be the man to deliver that elusive success? Navigating past Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania is his immediate task.
Adel Amrouche – Tanzanian
Tanzania coach Amrouche is a journeyman on the African coaching circuit but has never graced the grandest stage of all: the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON).
Amrouche’s passport isn’t a blank canvas. His CV boasts stints at an array of national teams – Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Burundi, Yemen, even Botswana – but with no tangible success.
So, as the tournament begins, Amrouche faces a two-pronged challenge. He’s not just here to compete, he’s here to prove a point especially to his doubters who scoff at his nomadic tendencies.
Sébastien Desabre – DRC
Desabre has worked on the African continent since 2010 when he coached Ivorian side ASEC Mimosas.
In 2019, Desabre etched his name in Ugandan history by guiding them to their first TotalEnergies CAF AFCON qualification in over 30 years. They even reached the historic round of 16 before falling to Senegal.
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Desabre is now leading the DRC and it remains to be seen what magic he will perform.
