Four African coaches will take charge of the semifinalists at this year's Africa Cup of Nations, disproving the popular local notion that they are given few opportunities on their own continent.
Pape Bouna Thiaw leads Senegal against Egypt, coached by their prolific former striker Hossam Hassan, in the first semifinal in Tangiers on Wednesday, followed by hosts Morocco, under Walid Regragui, against Nigeria, who have ex-Mali international Eric Chelle on their bench.
The only other time the final four sides were managed by Africans was in 1965, and African coaches have long complained they are often overlooked for national team jobs in favour of Europeans or South Americans with mediocre credentials.
“There have often been situations where African coaches have not been able to get jobs because federations and clubs prefer Europeans, but that seems to be changing a bit,” said former Ghana international Kwesi Appiah, who led Sudan to a last-16 place.
He was one of three African coaches taking charge of a team different from his own nationality at the finals in Morocco – a new phenomenon for the tournament.
“I think there is a responsibility too for the African coaches to prove their worth with hard work,” Appiah told Reuters.
This is the third successive Cup of Nations where African coaches outnumber foreigners. In Morocco, there have been 14 African managers, nine from Europe and one from Argentina.
Foreign coaches had previously dominated with only six of the first 32 editions of the tournament boasting a majority of local coaches.
Many European coaches have launched their careers in Africa but only a handful have returned to high-profile jobs in their own countries, like Roger Lemerre, who spent time managing in Tunisia before winning the 2000 European Championship with France, and Philippe Troussier, who had a brief and unsuccessful stint at Olympique de Marseille after working in five different African nations and Japan.
When it comes to lifting the trophy, however, the statistics favour African coaches who have masterminded 18 Afcon titles to 16 for teams coached by foreigners. Africa’s number will increase again after Sunday’s final.