While the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations offered us an insight into where the continent is at in terms of the level of football, it also showed us that more trust needs to be put in African managers and that they are the ones who can lead countries forward, writes Junaid Benjamin.
It is important that a manager understands his players' natures and what they respond to, which can include the way they are spoken to, the way training is set up, the style of football the country as a whole prefers to play, and the language in which they are addressed. The manager must also understand the various cultures within the country too because, at the end of the day, that could be the case in the team, potentially influencing its dynamic as a functioning unit.
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For example, during Brazil's 4-1 victory over South Korea at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, former Manchester United and Ireland star Roy Keane praised the performance of the Brazilians but criticised the way they danced in celebration after scoring. For someone from Keane's background and upbringing, that dancing may seem strange and perhaps even disrespectful.
For the Brazilians, however, it's what they know and it represents their culture and tradition. And the majority of the African countries enjoy a dance more often than not. In fact, it was something that caught the attention of the world thanks to CAF's use of social media platforms including TikTok and Instagram, which could very well have contributed to people across the globe tuning in for the 2023 AFCON.
Nevertheless, the former United star's criticism of the Brazilian players' love for dance illustrates how important it is for a manager to understand the culture of a country before taking over its national team. And who knows African culture better than African people themselves"
Then, it boils down to the issue of success on the continent in itself. Having a European or South American coach at the helm doesn't necessarily equate to more success. There are 12 different African coaches who have won AFCON since its inception, namely Mourad Fahmy (who is from Egypt), Charles Gyamfi (Ghana), Fred Osam-Duodu (Ghana), Abdelhamid Kermali (Algeria), Martial Yeo (Ivory Coast), Clive Barker (South Africa), Mohamed Al Gohari (Egypt), Hassan Shehata (Egypt), Stephen Keshi (Nigeria), Djamel Belmadi (Algeria), Aliou Cisse (Senegal), and Emerse Fae (Ivory Coast).
Recent history suggests that appointing an African coach is perhaps more likely to help you attain success in the competition, with the past three editions being won by managers from the continent, also illustrating the increase in quality on the coaching front. Most recently, Fae replaced Jean-Louis Gasset as manager of Ivory Coast after the Frenchman led the team to just one victory and two losses in the group of the latest AFCON before parting ways with the side. Following his departure, Fae guided the Elephants to their third continental title.
South African coach Pitso Mosimane, in a recent interview with Saudi Arabian channel SSC via KingFUT, said that a manager "should not be judged by their nationality but by their achievements". He went on to add that the only differences between coaches from different nationalities lie in their "competence, perseverance, and effort".
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"Egypt is the most successful team in the Africa Cup of Nations, achieving that with my friend Hassan Shehata. We have seen many European coaches fail with Egypt. The success came with an Egyptian coach, Hassan Shehata," he said.
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