While his departure seemed confirmed, Djamel Belmadi ultimately has no intention of abandoning his position as Algeria coach.
Algerian supporters thought they had gotten rid of the coach who twice led them to a fiasco in the African Cup, but that is not the case in the end. While his federation boss publicly announced his withdrawal on Thursday, Djamel Belmadi continues to cling to his position as Algeria coach.
Belmadi challenges his president
According to information from El Heddaf, dissatisfied with the amount of compensation granted to him (only two months’ salary), Belmadi informed his superior that he would like to continue in his mission. With his contract only expiring in two years, he is determined to continue in his role.
The news is enough to annoy Walid Sadi, the strong man of the FAF. While he had already started looking for a new coach, notably with contacts initiated with Hervé Renard, he perceives these discussions as a real setback in his agenda. Naively, he perhaps believed that his coach was going to resign of his own accord without demanding anything upon his return.
The only certainty for the moment is that this situation cannot drag on too long. The Fennecs have a friendly tournament to play at home in March. Then, in June, there are two World Cup qualifying matches, including a crucial one against Guinea at home.
