Official and popular obituary
As soon as the death of the FLN player and former national coach, Abdelhamid Zoba, was announced on Wednesday, Algerians from various political, sports and popular circles expressed their pain for the departure of one of the men who served Algerian sport as a player during the colonial period and as a coach who transmitted his experience to the post-independence generations.
In a telegram of condolences addressed to the family of the late, the Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, said: “With his departure, Algeria, and the sports arena, is one of those heroic athletes, who starred in many sports clubs abroad, and raised the flag of Algeria high in many forums under the banner of The National Liberation Front, and hear the voice of its just cause.”
And President Tebboune continued, “The deceased continued his career and achievements, led by Algerian sports clubs, and supervised, in successive periods, the training of the national team.”
Ministers in the government also offered condolences and sympathy to the family of the deceased Algeria, led by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Abdel Razzaq Sbakk, and the Minister of Mujahideen and People of Rights, Eid Rabiqa.
Among the sports family that mourned the deceased, the coach of the Algerian national team, Jamal Belmadi, said in his message: “Only two months ago, I had the honor of visiting the deceased Sheikh Abdelhamid Zoba at his home to check on his conditions, and he is a figure who gave a lot to Algerian football.”
Belmadi added: “Today, I am very touched by the departure of this former international player for the National Liberation Front, the former national coach, educator and distinguished technician. In this sad and painful circumstance, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to his family, relatives and friends and to Sheikh Mohamed Maouche, may God have mercy on the deceased and put him in peace “.
The President of the Algerian Football Federation, Charafeddine Amara, also offered his condolences to the family of the deceased Algerian footballer, as did the Algerian Olympic Committee and Mouloudia Alger, a club that crowned him as a coach with three titles.
The pioneers of social networking sites also expressed their great sadness at the departure of the “teacher” Abdel Hamid Zoba, and many of the media professionals who had previously conducted dialogues with the late regarding the country’s football affairs gathered about his humility, kindness and high morals.
And the journalist writer, Saleh Seoudi, stated in his Facebook post that “the deceased was a former player in the National Liberation Front team, after independence, he served Algerian football as a coach. Algeria, with whom he won the first African club title in the history of Algerian football in the mid-seventies at the expense of the Guinean club Hafia Konkari.
And he added: “I had a dialogue with him about his course with the Al-Aflan team, and he was good in his dealings and frank in his words… God bless him and grant his family patience and solace.”
The legend of Khaled’s team
The FLN team has a great place in Algerian history, due to its role (founded in 1958) in mobilizing Algerians against French colonialism and raising the banner of the just national cause through sports to international forums to contribute to the definition of the struggle of Algerians during the colonial era.
The late, Abdelhamid Zoba, is considered one of the icons of this historical team. He was born on April 2, 1935. He started his career as a football player in his hometown club, the popular Bologne district in Algiers.
He then became a professional in the French club “Nyoort” during (1955-1958), but later left this sports club, to join the National Liberation Front team at the height of the Algerian revolution against French colonialism.
Zoba became a professional in several teams after the independence of Algeria in 1962, including a Swiss club and a French club, until he finished his sports career as a player at the end of the 1968-1969 season in Algeria, to choose later the training path, managing the technical model for several teams inside and outside the country.
His training for one of the oldest Algerian clubs, Mouloudia Algiers, remains one of the brightest periods he experienced as a coach, as he was crowned with three titles in 1976 (the Algerian Championship and Cup and the African Cup of Champion Clubs).
With regard to his work in the technical staff of the “Greens”, the late participated in the training of the Algerian national team for four times as assistant and coach during 1969-1971, 1982, 1996 and 2001.