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Egypt's Rui Vitoria became the sixth manager to be sacked after failing to live up to expectations at the 2023 AFCON
The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is not just a battleground for national teams; it can also be a career-defining challenge for coaches. Managers like Herve Renard, Stephen Keshi and Hassan Shehata have built their legacies on success at the tournament, but not all managers who compete leave with pleasant stories.
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The recent tournament in the Ivory Coast has already witnessed several managers on the wrong end of the stick, getting the ax due to disappointing performances by their respective teams.
Rui Vitoria (Egypt)
Rui Vitoria's tenure as the head coach of Egypt came to an abrupt end after the team's exit in the last 16. Egypt had stumbled to the second round after a disappointing group stage and were unable to get a win in normal time during the competition.
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Despite advancing to the knockout stage, Egypt was eliminated by DR Congo in a penalty shootout, dashing their hopes of an eighth AFCON title, leaving the Pharaohs with little choice but to let Vitoria go. .
Djamel Belmadi (Algeria)
Algeria are yet to win a match at AFCON since being crowned champions in 2019 and faced an unexpected early exit from the tournament, despite being grouped with Angola, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso.
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The team failed to progress beyond the group stage, leading to the departure of Djamel Belmadi, who had guided them to AFCON glory only five years ago.
Chris Hughton (Ghana)
Ghana, a perennial football powerhouse, failed to meet expectations in the tournament, getting knocked out in the group stage after giving up an advantageous position in their last match of the opening round.
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Chris Hughton faced the consequences of Ghana's underwhelming performance, resulting in his departure as the head coach and the former Norwich, Brighton and Nottingham Forest was also lucky to escape being assaulted by fans and journalists twice.
Jalel Kadri (Tunisia)
Tunisia, considered one of the strong contenders, faced challenges in the AFCON, and the team's failure to advance beyond the first round led to the sacking of coach Jalel Kadri.
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The Carthage Eagles were left with only two points and one goal from the group stage after losing their opening match to Namibia and playing out draws against Mali and South Africa.
Adel Amrouche (Tanzania)
Tanzania’s Adel Amrouche was the first to suffer the ignoble fate of getting fired at the 2023 AFCON as he was let go after only one match of the group stage.
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The Taifa Stars struggled to make an impact in the tournament and lost their opening game 3-0 in a listless performance against Morocco, leading to Amrouche’s dismissal.
Jean-Louis Gasset (Ivory Coast)
Hosting the tournament added pressure on Ivory Coast, and the team's disastrous group stage performance led to the dismissal of coach Jean-Louis Gasset.
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Ivory Coast started the tournament well with a 2-0 victory over Guinea Bissau but fell to consecutive losses against Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea in a 4-0 national disgrace.
Gasset was sacked despite Ivory Coast still standing a chance of qualifying for the second round and former Elephants midfielder Emerson Fae has taken the side to the semifinals after dogged games in the round of 16 and quarterfinals.
These managerial changes reflect the high stakes and expectations associated with AFCON, where success can lead to glory, but failure often results in swift and decisive consequences for coaches. As teams regroup and prepare for future competitions, the sacked managers will be left contemplating their AFCON campaigns and the challenging road ahead.
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