Algeria’s Problem? They Want Immediate Results, Says Ex-Coach

Rabah Madjer has launched a dig at Algerian fans saying pressure around the national team is immense and they want immediate results.

An erstwhile Porto FC star player, Rabah was the head coach of the Desert Foxes, but his stay at the helm lasted briefly before he got axed.

In the time he assumed the role to his sacking, the 59-year-old Algerian legend oversaw four straight losses to minnow sides including Euro heavyweights Portugal.

The unprepossessing displays prompted the FA to terminate his contract, leading to his departure.

Lifting the lid over his exit, Madjer highlighted a number of issues affecting the North African nation’s squad, saying fans are way too expectant and want immediate results.

“The problem, in Algeria as elsewhere, is that we (fans) want results right away. We do not allow coaches enough space to work in continuity. There is too much pressure around the national team. If you want to have results, you need stability. But I do not regret anything (regarding his dismissal). With my technical staff, we did what was necessary to be able to play the CAN 2019,” he says.

Owing to his poor stretch of results, the Hussein Dey-born’s relationship with the press inevitably soured, but he insists this was caused by his detractors using a section of the Algerian media to get at him.

“As soon as I was appointed, I was attacked by some of the press. I say a part. And behind these journalists are some people hiding. In Algeria, everyone knows who it is. They immediately wanted to get dirty and destabilize me,’ he told Jeune Afrique.

The 59-year-old is the third coach shoved out of the door since Kheredine Zitch’s election as Algeria’s football boss March last year.

Djamel Belmadi, also a former Algerian player, has been appointed to fill the coaching void and begins his first assignment against Gambia next month in Banjul.