AFCON 2023: Local coaches favoured again at Africa Cup of Nations

The previous 30 years have produced a varied collection of coaches who have lifted the Africa Cup of Nations, from local heroes to expensive imports and unfancied tacticians who have used the tournament to grow their global reputation.

In the 15 tournaments that have been played since 1994, eight, or a little over 50 per cent, have been won by African coaches. That includes the last two as Djamel Belmadi lifted the title with Algeria in 2019 and Aliou Cisse with Senegal in 2021. Both are already out of the current tournament in the Ivory Coast.

Clive Barker claimed success with South Africa in 1996, while two years later Mohamed Al Gohari was in charge of Egypt as they beat Bafana Bafana in the decider.

The joint most successful African coach in history, Egypt’s Hassan Shehata, claimed a hattrick of wins between 2006 and 2010, the only man in history to achieve that run of success. Ghana’s Charles Gyamfi also won three titles, in 1963, 1965 and 1982.

The late Stephen Keshi took Nigeria’s Super Eagles to victory in 2013, before Belmadi and Cisse added their names to the list.

Six foreign coaches have won in that same period, though Frenchman Herve Renard claimed two titles – the first with unfancied Zambia in 2012 when they beat Ivory Coast in the final before he later joined The Elephants and led them to the title in 2015. He is the only coach to lift the trophy with two different nations.

Clemens Westerhof from the Netherlands won with Nigeria in 1994, before Cameroon had back-to-back victories in 2000 and 2002, though with different men in charge.

Frenchman Pierre Lechantre was at the helm for the first of those and the German Winfried Schafer for the second.

Another French coach, Roger Lemerre, took Tunisia to the title at home in 2004, just the second time that foreign coaches have won three tournaments in a row. The other occasion was from 1984 to 1988 when Rade Onganovic (Yugoslavia), Mike Smith (Wales) and Claude LeRoy (France) were victorious. Onganovic and LeRoy were in charge of Cameroon, and Smith led Egypt.

Renard then took his two titles, with the last foreigner to win being current Bafana Bafana tactician Hugo Broos, who led Cameroon to a surprise success in 2017.

For the first time in more than a half-century, there was a significant majority of African coaches in charge of teams at the finals in Cameroon two years ago.

Fourteen of the 24 teams were handled by a local coach, a number that has dropped a bit in this year’s tournament, where exactly half, or 12, of the teams in the Ivory Coast have local coaches in charge.

Eight of the 16 teams that advanced to the knockout stages have foreign coaches – Nigeria, Angola, Mauritania, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Egypt, DR Congo and Ivory Coast, though the latter sacked Frenchman Jean-Louis Gasset after the pool matches.

The eight sides that were led into the last-16 by local coaches are Cameroon, Namibia, Cape Verde, Morocco, Mali, Senegal, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea.

Recent years have seen a significant swing in favour of locals, who have been long overshadowed by foreign coaches from Europe and South America at the finals.

Before 2021, the 2002 finals in Mali was the last time there were more local coaches than foreigners but then, in a 16-team field, there was an almost even split with nine Africans and seven expatriates.

Not since 1965 in Tunisia, when all six finalists were handled by locals, has there been such a large percentage of African coaches, in what will be seen as a vote of confidence in local talent.

The debate over a lack of opportunity for African coaches in their own countries has long been a passionate one with many believing federations tend towards foreigners in a knee-jerk action when appointing national coaches and have allowed many an incompetent one from Europe or South America to take on a post well beyond their ability.

Of the 34 editions of the Cup of Nations, only seven have seen African coaches dominate. There have been nine tournaments where the split was even, but 18 where non-African coaches were in majority on the bench.

Claude Leroy is the coach with the most tournament assignments having led teams in eight finals, followed by Henryk Kasperczak (7), Michel Dussuyer (6) and Herve Renard (6).

All are French, including the former Polish international Kasperczak, who became a French citizen after starting his coaching career there.

On the overall winning front, 18 Cup of Nations have been won by African coaches and 16 by foreigners, with Belmadi and Cisse tipping the balance in favour of the locals at the last two editions.

AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS WINNING COACHES SINCE 1994

1994 – Clemens Westerhof (Netherlands)

1996 – Clive Barker (South Africa)

1998 – Mohamed Al Gohari (Egypt)

2000 – Pierre Lechantre (France)

2002 – Winfried Schafer (Germany)

2004 – Roger Lemerre (France)

2006 – Hassan Shehata (Egypt)

2008 – Hassan Shehata (Egypt)

2010 – Hassan Shehata (Egypt)

2012 – Herve Renard (France)

2013 – Stephen Keshi (Nigeria)

2015 – Herve Renard (France)

2017 – Hugo Broos (Belgium)

2019 – Djamel Belmadi (Algeria)

2021 – Aliou Cisse (Senegal)

LOCAL V FOREIGN COACHES AT THE Afcon SINCE 1994

1994 (12 teams): Local = 7; Foreign = 5

1996 (15 teams): Local = 5; Foreign = 10

1998 (16 teams): Local = 7; Foreign = 9

2000 (16 teams): Local = 6; Foreign = 10

2002 (16 teams): Local = 9; Foreign = 7

2004 (16 teams): Local = 8; Foreign = 8

2006 (16 teams): Local = 8; Foreign = 8

2008 (16 teams): Local = 4; Foreign = 12

2010 (16 teams): Local = 6; Foreign = 10

2012 (16 teams): Local = 7; Foreign = 9

2013 (16 teams): Local = 7; Foreign = 9

2015 (16 teams): Local = 3; Foreign = 13

2017 (16 teams): Local = 4; Foreign = 12

2019 (24 teams): Local = 9; Foreign = 15

2021 (24 teams): Local = 14; Foreign = 10

2023 (24 teams): Local = 12; Foreign = 12

Source:norvanreports