TotalEnergies CAF AFCON: Group B
CAFOnline.com looks at the exciting line-up of coaches in Group D of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Cote d’Ivoire 2023.
- Two coaches make their TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Côte d’Ivoire 2023 debut in Group B
- Chiquinho Conde is leading Mozambique at the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON for the first time in 10 years
- Bubista is making a second successive TotalEnergies CAF AFCON appearance with Cape Verde
As things get heated on the pitch during the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Côte d’Ivoire 2023, there will be a continuous feast of know-how and technical acumen in the dugout.
Group B has so much to give as far as coaches go.
CAFOnline.com puts the spotlight on the coaches in Group B.
Rui Vitória – EGYPT
Born in Portugal, Vitória is heading to his first-ever TotalEnergies CAF AFCON after signing up to be the head coach of Egypt in 2022.
Before joining Egypt, Rui Vitória had a stint with Portuguese giants Benfica, where he won a domestic treble in his first season and went ahead to defend the Portuguese topflight league the following season.
Despite being a new face on the continent, the Portuguese international has what it takes to deliver on a big stage like the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON.
Chris Hughton – GHANA
For over four decades, Ghana has failed to win an AFCON title, and the 34th edition provides another platform for them to end the long drought.
To lead this campaign is the 65-year-old English-born Chris Hughton, who was appointed as the head coach after the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Chris, despite his rich experience in the English Premier League, has never been to the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON before.
The former Tottenham, West Ham, and Brentford player are hoping to write history in Côte d’Ivoire.
Bubista – CAPE VERDE
The Cape Verde National team is led by Bubista.
Bubista was a player for the Cape Verde National team, where he played 28 games as a defender.
The 54-year-old has been in charge of Cape Verde since 2020, and this will be his second AFCON. He qualified for the last edition in Cameroon and finished in the Round of 16.
Cape Verde finds themselves in a much more difficult group with past winners Ghana and Egypt.
Chiquinho Conde – MOZAMBIQUE
Chiquinho is one of the key men in the history of Mozambique football as a player and a coach.
As a player, Chiquinho spent most of his years playing in Portugal for clubs like SC Braga, Sporting Lisbon, among others.
He also appeared in three TotalEnergies CAF AFCON tournaments for Mozambique.
Before his appointment as the head coach for the Mambas, they had failed to qualify for the last six editions of the Africa Cup of Nations but managed to secure qualification for the 2023 edition.
Group D
- Djamel Belmadi is chasing another TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Côte d’Ivoire 2023 glory with Algeria
- Amir Abdou is leading Mauritania to a third successive AFCON finals
- Pedro Gonçalves is eyeing more history with Angola
- Hubert Velud expects to rely on his vast Africa experience to shine with the Stallions
Group D presents some of the finest coaches in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Côte d’Ivoire 2023.
Djamel Belmadi will be chasing his second AFCON trophy after winning it with Algeria in 2019.
Hubert Velud, after making an appearance with Togo despite qualifying them in 2010 due to an attack on his team, has another opportunity to make history with Burkina Faso.
CAFOnline.com looks at the exciting lineup of coaches in Group D.
Djamel Belmadi – Algeria
For the third successive time, Djamel Belmadi will be leading Algeria to a TotalEnergies CAF AFCON tournament.
He managed to end the country of his birth’s 29-year wait for an AFCON trophy in 2019 when he guided them to victory.
Belmadi made 20 appearances for the Algerian national team from 2000 to 2004 and played his club football for French giant Olympic Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain.
Though a tough one, Algeria is one of the favorites to win the trophy in Côte d’Ivoire.
Hubert Velud – Burkina Faso
Born in France, Velud played as a goalkeeper for Stade de Reims. He hung his boots in 1990 and became a manager.
He has vast experience on the Africa continent at the club level. He has managed ES Sètif, USM Algiers TP Mazembe in 2012, 2013, and 2016, respectively.
In 2010, he led the Togolese national team to the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON.
Sixteen years on, Velud has another opportunity to play in the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON, this time with Burkina Faso, and they are in a group they can manage and progress.
Amir Abdou – Mauritania
The Mauritanian national team will be coached by Amir Abdou, who hails from Comoros.
Amir spent eight years coaching the Comoros national team, where he managed to qualify them for their first Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon in 2021.
After guiding Mauritania to what is their third consecutive qualification for the finals of the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON, a knockout stage qualification will be in sight for Amir Abdou.
Pedro Gonçalves – Angola
Born in Angola, Pedro Gonçalves has passed through the ranks as a coach for the various Angolan national teams.
He started with the Angolan U-17 team in 2018 after stints with 1º de Agosto. He won the Cosafa Cup and also qualified them for their first-ever U-17 FIFA World Cup in 2019.
This led to his appointment as the head coach of the U-20 and U-23 national teams before getting the nod as the head coach of the national team in 2019.
He qualified for the CHAN tournament in 2022 and finished second in his group.
Gonçalves capped what has been a top performance so far with Angola with TotalEnergies CAF AFCON qualification in 2023.
