Algeria’s CHAN 2022 Bible

Algeria’s A’ National team will be making its second participation at the seventh edition of the African Nations Championship dubbed CHAN 2022 as host nation, to run from January 13 to February 4, 2023.

How they got there

After their first participation, during the second edition of the biennial association football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), featuring players currently playing in their respective local leagues, Algeria’s A’ team automatically booked a ticket as host nation to battle with 17 other nations from Africa for the trophy.

Algeria were officially named as hosts of the 2022 edition on 29 September 2018 at an executive committee meeting held on September 10, 2020 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

This edition of the tournament were confirmed by the Algerian Football Federation August 1, 2020 to be held in four venues at four cities across host nation Algeria which includes Algiers, Oran, Constantine and Annaba.

Nickname:

Fennec fox/ Desert Foxes/ The Greens

The Algeria A’ National squad bears same name as the National squad Desert Foxes/Fennec Fox which is a small crepuscular fox native to the deserts of North Africa, unusually large ears, which serve to dissipate heat and listen for underground prey and it is the smallest species of fox.

The CHAN representative is the team next to the national squad, reserved for players plying their trade in local clubs of the country.

The Coach: Madjid Bougherra

Since 2008, the Algerian A’ squad has gone through seven official tacticians.
From Mustapha 2008, Abdelhak
Benchikha 2011, Ali Fergani 2012, Lucas Alcaraz 2017, Rabah Madjer 2018, Ludovic Batelli 2019, A new head coach and former Algerian Centre back will guide the team during the CHAN 2022 on home soil.

The 40-year-old former Algerian centre back began his football career at the youth level with AS Quetigny in 2000. He later graduated to the senior category playing for clubs in France, England and Algeria including Gueugnon, Crewe Alexandra, Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton Athletic, Rangers, Lekhwiya, Al-Fujairah and Aris. Madjid Bougherra made a total of 276 appearances for various clubs.

For country, he graduated from the U23 rank to the national selection making a total of 70 appearances and found the back of the net four times.

After retiring from football in 2016, the former defender has managed three teams (both country and club). The U23 of Al-Duhail, his former club Fujairah and now the Algeria A’ team . He participated in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, where Algeria finished fourth, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He served as the team’s captain for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Number of Appearances and Results

The Desert Foxes of Algeria has been absent in all but one of the previous six editions organized by CAF since the first in 2009.

During the second edition hosted by Sudan 2011, Algeria recorded its best performance, emerging as fourth behind host Sudan, Angola and Champions Tunisia. Since then, the team has been consecutive absent from the competition. CAF disqualified Algeria from the CHAN 2016 because the team abandoned the qualifiers of the previous edition, the CHAN 2014.

5 February 2011
Khartoum Stadium, Khartoum

Uganda 0-2 Algeria
Djabou 18’
Soudani 62’

8 February 2011

Khartoum Stadium, Khartoum

Gabon 2-2 Algeria
Lengoualama 51, Soudani 70′ 89′

Bembangoye 90+2’

12 February 2011

Sudan 0-0 Algeria

Khartoum Stadium, Khartoum

Quarter finals

18 February 2011

South Africa 0-2 Algeria

Maiza 44′ (pen)
Metref 90+2′

Semifinal

22 February 2011

Algeria 1-1 Tunisia

Penalty: Algeria 3-5 Tunisia

Third Place

25 February 2011

Algeria 0-1 Sudan
Mudather Karika 37′

Group Fixtures

There has been a slide change in this year’s event. Instead of 16 teams, Algeria will host 18 teams first of its kind. The 18 teams have been drawn into five pools, pool A,B,C all have four teams each while Pool D and E have three each.

The “Greens” are in Pool A alongside 2014 winners Libya, Ethiopia and Mozambique. Host country Algeria will face 2014 winners Libya in a North African derby on 13 January 2023 at 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT) at the majestic Stade de Baraki in the Algerian capital Algiers.

Algerian # Libya (13/1/23)

Algeria # Ethiopia (17/1/23)

Algeria # Mozambique (21/1/23)

Unsung Heros

29-year-old Ayoub Abdellaoui who plays for MC Algiers is one of the unsung heroes of the team called up by coach Madjid Bougherra. He has made nine appearances so far for the Greens of Algeria.

Ayoub is a left back who can comfortably operate as centre back. He has gone through the Junior categories of the National team since 2008. He began his senior football career at club level in 2014, playing for USM Algiers before moving to FC Sion in Switzerland, then to Al Ettifaq, and back to Algeria featuring for MC Algiers.

Ayoub has won the Algerian Championship and Super Cup with USM Algiers. His strides also paid him as he won the African Cup of Nations and FIFA Arab Cup.

His presence in the squad, coupled with his experience will be a booster to the team who is seeking their first CHAN Title.

Most Successful Club

The players to represent Algeria during this event were drawn mostly from CR Belouizdad and USM Algiers. Handpicking from ES Setif, MC Algiers, USM Khenchela, JS Saoura and Paradou AC.

Chabab Riadhi de Belouizdad known as Chabab Belouizdad or CR Belouizdad is an Algerian association football club based in Algiers. The club is one of the most successful clubs in the country with nine ligue professionnelle 1 titles. It has a record of eight Algerian Cup trophy, one Algerian league cup, and two Algerian Super cup.

Mouloudia Club of Algiers MC Algiers, is an Algerian sports club founded on August 7 , 1921 and based in Algiers . The club has so far backed home seven Algerian Championship, eight Algerian Cup, one League Cup, three Algerian Super Cup, one CAF Champions League and two Maghreb Cup titles.

The Squad

GOALKEEPERS

Farid Chaâl – MC Alger
Alexis Guendouz – CR Belouizdad
Chamseddine Rahmani – CS Constantine

DEFENDERS:
Mokhtar Belkhiter – CR Belouizdad
Youcef Laouafi – CR Belouizdad
Chouaïb Keddad – CR Belouizdad
Saâdi Redouani – USM Algiers
Zinédine Belaïd – USM Algiers
Haïtham Loucif – USM Algiers
Ayoub Abdellaoui – MC Algiers
Ayoub Ghezala – MC Algiers
Hocine Dehiri – Paradou AC
Houari Baouche – USM Alger

MIDFIELDERS

Ahmed Kendouci – ES Sétif
Zakaria Draoui – CR Belouizdad
Islam Bakir – CR Belouizdad
Houssam-Eddine Mrezigue – CR Belouizdad
Akram Djahnit – USM Alger
Oussama Chita – USM Alger
Mohamed Aït El-Hadj – USM Alger

FORWARDS

Chouaïb Debbih – MC Alger
Tahar Fath-Allah – MC Alger
Abderrahmane Meziane – USM Alger
Aymen Mahious – USM Alger
Aziz Lahmeri – JS Saoura
Islam Belkhir – CR Belouizdad
Karim Aribi – CR Belouizdad
Sofiane Bayazid – USM Khenchela

The “Greens” are logged in Pool A alongside 2014 winners Libya, Ethiopia and Mozambique. The team camping on Monday at the National Technical Centre in Sidi Moussa, before the start of the competition to run from January 13 to February 4, 2023 across four cities.

Club’s players distribution

CR Belouizdad – 8
USM Algiers – 8
MC Alger – 4
CS Constantine – 1
Paradou AC – 1
ES Setif – 1
JS Saoura – 1
USM Khenchela – 1

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