Algeria Snub Peseiro, Set To Name Petkovic Coach

Algeria’s Football Association has opted not to continue negotiations with Jose Peseiro and is set to announce the appointment of Vladimir Petkovic as the new coach of their men’s senior national team, he said.

The imminent appointment of Petkovic as the new head coach of the Fennec Foxes will bring an end to speculation surrounding Peseiro’s potential appointment.

Following Djamel Belmadi’s departure after a disappointing outing at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Algeria sought a replacement, initially considering Peseiro due to his commendable performance with Nigeria, guiding the Super Eagles to a second-place finish in the tournament.

Algeria won the AFCON in 2019, beating Nigeria in the semi-finals. However, the Foxes failed to make it past the group stage of the 2021 and 2023 editions and have not won any of their last six games in the competition.

Immediately after the AFCON in Ivory Coast, Belmadi was relieved of his job and Peseiro, whose credential seduced the president of the Algerian football federation, Walid Sadi, became the favourites for the job.

The Portuguese was also said to have been offered a staggering $90,000 monthly salary to coach the Foxes.

However, latest reports have indicated that talks linking Peseiro to Algeria have ceased with the imminent appointment of Petkovic.

While Peseiro’s future remains uncertain as his contract with the NFF expired after the AFCON, it is speculated that he might continue with Nigeria, especially with Algeria’s focus shifting to Petkovic.

Meanwhile, William Troost-Ekong says he will be happy to see Peseiro sign a new contract with the federation heading into the remaining 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

“Yes. I think the players are happy with him. Reaching the final is something significant and also something we can build on,” the defender said in an interview with CNN World Sport’s Amanda Davies.

“However on what he has in mind, I did try to ask him before we left and he said he’s going to call me back. I think I’m just as much in the dark as you guys are but I think all the players would be happy to see him back.”

With Algeria now out of the way, Peseiro’s options are now reduced, and since he has been working with the Eagles for the last two years, it would be easier for him to accept the job.

Punch/ Jamiu Ogunshe