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Algeria uses Nations Cup as 2006 tune-up Posted: Tuesday January 15, 2002 4:57 PM
ALGIERS (Reuters) -- Algeria's new coach Rabah Madjer has already made it clear that the upcoming African Nations Cup finals are not a top priority. The former African Footballer of the Year says his team's performances in Mali this month will not be important as he is still building a side to compete for a place at the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany. Madjer took charge of the team for a second spell late last year and has quickly set about a major overhaul. But there will be many familiar faces in the squad that goes to Mali, including a player who was a team mate of Madjer when Algeria last won the Nations Cup 12 years ago. Veteran defender Mahieddine Meftah, 33, will be competing in his sixth Nations Cup tournament, one off the record set two years ago by Ivorian goalkeeper Alain Gouamene. Meftah was 21-years-old when he came on as a late substitute when Algeria beat Nigeria in the 1990 final in Algiers. Other veterans in the current squad include Billel Dziri and perennial goal scorer Abdelhafid Tasfaout, who will again lead Algeria's attack. The north Africans, whose country has been beset by internal conflict, have toppled from the elevated status they enjoyed in African football in the 1980s. Then, they qualified for successive World Cup finals in 1982 and 1986 and struck a blow for African soccer by beating the formidable West Germans 2-1 in Spain in 1982. Madjer himself scored their opener in that famous match in Gijon. In the Nations Cup, Algeria were semifinalists three times in the 1980s before finally winning the trophy in front of fanatical home crowds in 1990. But those halcyon days have long passed and Madjer has the difficult task of seeking to restore lost national pride. He is now turning to the growing Diaspora of Algerians in France to pick his team and will have four French-born players in the 22-man squad at Mali. Defender Mohamed Bradja of Troyes; Montpellier's Omer Belbey, Yazid Mansouri of Le Havre and Istres striker Nassim Akrour are all offspring of Algerian immigrants to France. Several other second generation Algerians played in recent friendlies but were cut from the final squad, announced on Monday. Also left out were first choice goalkeeper Hichem Mezair and striker Issaad Bourahli, who refused to travel to Senegal for a friendly late last month. Algeria have a tough opening round group with hosts Mali, World Cup finalists Nigeria and Liberia. But if they are to make any mark, Algeria will have to show far more discipline than when they played a friendly against World Champions France in Paris in October. They had four players sent off before the match was eventually abandoned 12 minutes from time because of a pitch invasion with Algeria losing 4-1.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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