Algeria: a risky place to be a football coach?

Fromer SC Bastia coach Francois Ciccolini was the first to lose his job in Algeria this season

While elite football in Algeria, much like the rest of the world, is coming to terms with operating during the global Covid-19 pandemic, coaches are still under as much pressure as ever.

With most of the 20 teams in the Algerian top flight having played just seven matches this season, ten coaches have already been sacked or resigned.

It seems that clubs are continuing their practice of sacking managers if they cannot immediately get the expected results or impact a team's performances.

While those in biggest danger are coaches who cannot provide instant results, others are relieved of their duties if they fail to win a particular game or lose to an arch-rival regardless of the side's performance or the match conditions.

The latest to be given their marching orders are Moez Bouakez after his US Biskra side lost 2-0 to RC Relizane on Saturday, while Abdelaziz Abbes lost his job at WA Tlemcen following a 2-1 defeat to OM Medea on the same day.

Last week, former Algeria international Bilel Dziri had to step down from his second stint as coach of CA Bordj Bou-Arreridj. His decision was taken after a humiliating 5-1 loss at home to table-topping arch-rivals Entente Setif.

Two of the most successful teams in Algeria, JS Kabylie and USM Alger, are both already onto their third coaches of the season after just seven league matches.

JS Kabylie started the season under Tunisian Yamen Zelfani but a poor start saw him quickly replaced by Youcef Bouzidi, who seemed to have managed to turn things around with five straight wins.

Despite that winning streak, JS Kabylie surprised many by parting ways with Bouzidi and appointing Denis Lavagne but the Frenchman will already be feeling the pressure after losing his opening game 2-1 to USM Alger.

And it was USM Alger who were the first to sack their coach this season as Frenchman Francois Ciccolini lost his job after just one game, a loss to CR Belouizdad in the Algerian Super Cup.

Ciccolini was dismissed when he refused to go to the stands to receive the runners-up medal from Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad.

Benaraibi Bouziane was given the opportunity to take over from Ciccolini until the end of the season but the club's board changed their mind after just a couple of games and re-employed former coach Thierry Froger.

It was not such a 'Happy New Year' for Nadir Leknaoui who was told on 1 January by NA Hussein Dey that his services were no longer required after losing 1-0 at home to ES Setif.

The club is still looking for a new coach but managed to secure their first win of the season by beating ASO Chlef 1-0 on Friday.

Second-bottom NA Magra fired their manager Mohamed Bacha three weeks ago and are now hoping newly-appointed Abdelkrim Latreche can steer them away from the relegation zone.

In the western city of Sidi Belabbes, financial troubles are the major concern of their club USMBA and led to Layamine Boughrara resigning when the board failed to sign the players he had been promised.

Several of the sacked coaches have already been recycled; Dziri who was sacked by CA Bordj has joined NA Hussein Dey to replace Leknaoui, who in turn was hired by US Biskra after they dismissed Bouakez, who himself is now in charge of CA Bordj.

With another 31 rounds left this season, the odds are that many more coaches are going to lose their jobs.