Algeria parts ways with coach Petkovic
Algiers, Aug 4
The Algerian Football Federation announced that it has parted ways with national team coach Vladimir Petkovic and his technical staff by mutual agreement.
In a statement, the federation thanked Petkovic and his staff for "their professionalism, commitment and dedication" during their 29 months in charge of the Desert Foxes.
"The Algerian Football Federation announced that their contractual relationship with the national team head coach, Vladimir Petkovic, and his coaching staff has officially come to an end today, on a mutual agreement between the two parties," the local soccer governing body said in a statement.
"The Algerian Football Federation extends its sincere thanks to Vladimir Petkovic and all members of his staff for their professionalism, commitment, and dedication throughout their twenty-nine months at the helm of the national team's technical staff," it added.
Petkovic, the former Switzerland and Lazio coach, was appointed in March 2024 as successor to Djamel Belmadi. Under his guidance, Algeria qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, returning to the tournament after missing out in 2022.
The 62-year-old's contract was extended through 2028 shortly before the World Cup, but Algeria's disappointing campaign cast doubt over his future. Algeria advanced to the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams after finishing third in Group J before losing to Switzerland in the round of 32.
Petkovic's departure comes less than two years before the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, with Algeria expected to begin its search for a new coach immediately.
They begin qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations in September, where they have been drawn in Group I alongside Zambia, Togo and Burundi.
According to media reports, Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle and Herve Renard, who recently left his role with Tunisia, are among the leading candidates to replace Petkovic.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The federation thanked him for "professionalism and commitment" but still let him go. Typical football politics. I feel for Petkovic — he took over after Belmadi and did steady work. Algeria's expectations are sky-high, just like our fans expect India to win every cricket match abroad. 😅
Honestly, Algeria's group stage was unconvincing — they barely scraped through as one of the best third-placed teams. In India, we often hype our players after one good series, but the real test is the big stage. Petkovic's tactics looked outdated in the knockout game. Maybe it's time for a fresh approach.
Mutual agreement? Sounds like they pushed him out. 😄 Reminds me of how Indian football coaches get sacked after a bad AFC Cup run. But honestly, qualifying for the World Cup is no small thing. Algeria needs to be careful — sometimes the next coach isn't better, just different.
From a neutral perspective, this looks like a classic case of a federation reacting to fan pressure. Petkovic did his job — got them to the World Cup — but the Round of 32 exit hurt. In America, we'd probably do the same if our national team coach underperformed. 🤷♀️
I think it's a bit unfair, honestly. He qualified them for the World Cup after missing 2022. The federation extended his contract and then fired him within months? That's just poor planning. As we say in India, "pehle kua, phir kuan khodna"
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