The former Atlas Lions coach, Hervé Renard, gave Le Parisien an interview in which he reversed his decision to leave the national team, Hadji’s comments about him and Algeria’s success during the 2019 AFCON.
His departure
“The players knew my decision. Some players were also in the same state of mind. It was their last AFCON. But we wanted to win or at least reach the last four. »
Reasons for the failure in Egypt
“It is premature to learn lessons. I have ideas but it’s too early to talk about them… Morocco has been on the right track for three years. This must continue. I will have been part of this adventure and I hope that one day the work started will lead to an African champion title. »
Hadji’s words
“When you are an assistant, you have to respect a certain code of ethics and also respect the person you work with. Otherwise, you assume your differences and resign. I don’t have any advice for Mustapha Hadji, who was an exceptional player for Morocco. But making negative comments after the departure of my predecessor Badou Zaki, of me, it can harm his image. »
The Algerian success
“Congratulations to Algeria because throughout the tournament, they deserve the African Cup. She beat Senegal twice (1-0 in the group phase and then in the final) is already a great performance in itself. The Algerians have been regular, generous and self-sacrificing even if they did not play their best match in the final. But the most important thing, as they say, is to bring the cup home.
“they were able to play together and had individuals like Baghdad Bounedjah who made a huge tournament. Riyad Mahrez, who has an important moment like the semi-final (against Nigeria 2-1), scored an exceptional free kick and Ismaël Bennacer was radiant. »
“Belmadi was able to quickly identify what this team needed. I think that as an Algerian, he knows the football of this country very well, he knew the players and he knew how to find the best possible associations to achieve this result. I don’t know him very well, but I find him very humble. I sent him a message of congratulations, he answered me with a lot of kindness. He did an exceptional job. When you win, you’re always at the top of the bill and today he deserves it. »
Article complet Hervé Renard: “The players knew my decision before the AFCON” Sur L'Express.