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Supposedly, Zinedine Zidane, the ex-Real Madrid boss, has rejected the opportunity to take an international coaching job in 2024.
After their early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations, Algeria allegedly sought Zinedine Zidane‘s services as a new coach. In the wake of Djamel Belmadi’s departure, the Algerian Football Association is now seeking a replacement.
The surprising group-stage elimination from the 2023 tournament led to the dismissal of manager Djamel Belmadi. The severance payout that the 47-year-old received from the Algerian FA has put him in the middle of a controversy. Thus, FIFA are reportedly planning to look into the matter.
The Greens had never before been eliminated in the group stages of the AFCON in consecutive tournaments. Even more astonishing is the fact that, after winning the 2019 edition under Belmadi’s leadership, huge things were anticipated from them.
Some prominent figures, including Herve Renard and Vahid Halilhodzic, have surfaced as potential successors to Belmadi. It seems, however, that the Algerian FA had other plans and were hoping to get Zinedine Zidane on board instead.
What did Zidane say to Algerian FA?
Linked to the open position of manager at Algeria this month, Zidane maintains ties to the country of his parents’ birth. While he was born and brought up in Marseille, France, his family is from the North African country.
“I have an affinity with the Arabic world,” he said when asked about his heritage back in 2012. “I have it in my blood, via my parents. I’m very proud of being French, but also very proud of having these roots and this diversity.”
L’Equipe reports that Walid Sadi, head of the Algerian Football Federation, contacted Zidane in the last few hours. But the key player in France’s 1998 World Cup victory has decided not to return to coaching.
Zidane is pleased by the attention but is determined to sit this one out for the time being. The fact that the 51-year-old…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/zinedine-zidane-rejects-major-national-team-job-reason-revealed-20240127-WST-486005.html
Author : Martina Alcheva
Publish date : 2024-01-27 20:38:36
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