- No contract renewal for Amrouche
BONGANI MALUNGA
The Botswana Football Association has announced that they will not renew Zebras head coach Adel Amrouche’s contract when it elapses in October. BFA released an official statement this past week stating that an amicable split was agreed when both parties were discussing the inevitable end of his contract.
The BFA and Amrouche found common ground when discussing a classy and conflict free separation which will be in effect in four months’ time. The Belgian of Algerian descent was given two main deliverables of qualifying for the 2022 AFCON tournament as well as winning the COSAFA Cup. With one of his main deliverables proving unattainable, any hopes of a renewal diminished as the coach also had to deal with accusations of numerous rifts with players on camp.
Amrouche was hired by the association in August 2019 after courting him for more than a decade. When the association finally got their man things did not go as planned as the team struggled to get to grips with his methods.
The team struggled to register a win or score a goal in the first six games. To date the coach has been at the helm in 10 games, recording 1 win, six defeats and three draws. The coach has not been aided by the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus which halted local football for more than a year.
The bulk of his squad are locally based players but those players have not been exposed to competitive action for a long time and the shortness in competitive match fitness was evident during the AFCON 2022 Qualifiers. Amrouche will have a chance to leave his post on a high as he takes his team to the 2021 COSAFA Cup in South Africa next month (7-18 July). Botswana has been placed in Group A alongside hosts South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini.