Algiers – Hocine Bousaleh
Algerian coach Djamel Menad
Algiers – Hocine Bousaleh
On Monday evening, Mouloudia Club d'Alger (MCA) appointed the Algerian coach Djamel Menad as head coach of the club.
Menad succeeds the French coach Jean Paul Rabier who was fired on Saturday evening
, immediately after the team was defeated by Union Sportive Médina d'Alger (USMA).
The Frenchman was sacked on account of the team’s weak performance, which raised the ire of the club’s supporters, specifically because it was against one of their big rivals. As such, the board decided to take immediate action to calm the “Chanawa” (fans and supporters of the club) and sacrifice Rabier.
Djamel Menad is the club’s third coach this season, after Patrick Liewig was fired before the beginning of the championship.
Menad, the former “Greens” star, said that the president of MCA, Omar Gharib, had called him on Sunday, asking him to oversee the club’s training session, without giving him any further details regarding the contract. Menad gave his initial approval and stated his readiness to set the team back on the right track, after last Saturday’s defeat.
A key player during African Cup of Nations in 1990, Menad told Arabstoday that he considers Mouloudia a great team. He added that he knows the club inside out and, having been following their recent fortunes very closely, is well aware of the team’s strengths and weaknesses under club captain, Réda Babouche.
Chabab Belouizdad, another former coach, argued that, having only dropped three points from the first three games was a respectable start. However, Menad stressed that the season is still in its infancy and that he will work on the apparent weaknesses as soon as the deal is finalised with the club.