New generation of Afcon coaches square up against veterans

The head coaches of Ivory Coast, Sabri Lamouchi (right) and Sami Trabelsi, gesture during their Africa Cup of Nations Group D match on Saturday (January 26 2013) at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. Picture: Armando Franca/ AP

At 64, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) coach Claude le Roy is the oldest at the 29th Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

The youngest is Ivory Coast mentor Sabri Lamouchi who is only 41 years old.

Another gap between the two – Le Roy and Lamouchi – is that the former is appearing in his seventh Afcon final while Lamouchi is still new in the national team coaching ranks, having only been appointed coach of The Elephants in May last year.

Also in the exclusive club of the over 60s are Ethiopia’s Sewnet Bishaw (61) and Algeria’s Vahid Halilhodzic (60).

Others nearing the pensioners’ age are Niger coach Gernot Rohr (59) and Didier Six (58) of Togo.

Seven of the 16 coaches are in their 50s, including Bafana Bafana trainer Gordon Igesund who is 56, the same age as Paul Put of Burkina Faso.

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi joined the half-century group midweek following his 50th birthday on Wednesday.

Also to cut their birthday cakes during the tournament are Le Roy, Morocco coach Rachid Taoussi and his Tunisian counterpart Sami Trabelsi.

Trabelsi turns 45 on February 2 while Taoussi (53) and Le Roy – both born on February 6 – will blow their candles four days before the Afcon final.

Gustavo Ferrin of Angola and his Ghanaian counterpart, Kwesi Appiah, are also 53.

Defending champions Zambia are guided by 44-year-old Herve Renard.

The French-born coach is two years younger than his compatriot, Patrice Carteron, who is in charge of Mali.

Carteron is also new in the national team coaching job having been tasked with the job to guide The Eagles six months ago.

Cape Verde coach Luico Antunes also falls into the over 40 category. The air traffic controller will turn 47 in October.

The young and old Afcon coaches in numbers

64 Claude le Roy (DRC)
61 Sewnet Bishaw (Ethiopia)
60 Vahid Halilhodzic (Algeria)
58 Dider Six (Togo)
59 Gernot Rohr (Niger)
56 Gordon Igesund (South Africa)
56 Paul Put (Burkina Faso)
53 Kwesi Appiah (Ghana)
53 Gustavo Ferrin (Angola)
53 Rachid Taoussi (Morocco)
50 Stephen Keshi (Nigeria)
46 Lucio Antunes (Cape Verde)
44 Herve Renard (Zambia)
44 Sami Trabelsi (Tunisia)
42 Patrice Carteron (Mali)
41 Sabri Lamouchi (Ivory Coast)

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