Algeria (AFP)
Algeria national football team coach Djamel Belmadi decided to continue his position “for the people”, despite the failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, following the defeat against Cameroon in the second leg of the African Continental Extension, as he told the Algerian Federation website.
Belmadi said in his first statement since the Cameroon match: “I have a contract that continues until December 2022, and there are no conditions for the necessity of achieving results, contrary to what was said, but the matter has nothing to do with the contract. I gave the officials in the Federation the opportunity to terminate the contract without problems and they asked me to stay ».
He considered that: “The most important element is the public and our people, who showed that they want us to stay in the national team, and I came for this, in order to raise the flag of Algeria high, and so that the team is at the highest level not only in Africa but in the world.”
He said, “I see it as my duty to continue in this mission, and I will work with my heart and with all determination and determination because the people deserve it. I hope that the decision will be in the interest of Algeria.”
Belmadi, nicknamed by the Algerians as “the Minister of Happiness”, asked for a time to think, after the “shock” of not qualifying for the World Cup, although the chances were in favor of the desert warriors after winning in Douala 1-0, but Cameroon snatched the qualification ticket by winning in Blida (2-1).
He attributed his delay in talking about his future to: “The national team is a great responsibility and you must be ready for it,” noting that: “The option to leave my position in case of failure was ready in my mind.”
Belmadi confirmed that he is still “under shock”, explaining: “We cannot lie to each other, it is difficult and the burden is heavy, especially for a person like me who has made his profession the center of his life. With time things will improve and forgetting is the human feature. Sadness will disappear with failure.”
The head of the Algerian Federation, Charafeddine Amara, who submitted his resignation two days after the team’s exit from the World Cup, asked Belmadi to remain in his position with his staff.
Thanks to the good results that Belmadi achieved since leading the national team in 2018, he remained far from any criticism, even in the media, even after exiting the African Cup in Cameroon in the first round, but the shock of failing to qualify for the World Cup made some analysts question his choices.
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