[ad_1]
By Brian Homewood
CAIRO (Reuters) – As a player, Alain Giresse was part of a midfielder known as Magic Square, which propelled France towards memorable performances in the 1980s, including the victory over champion of Europe.
His coaching career was also remarkable – although it was not quite what such a player could have expected.
In the past 15 years working in Africa, the 66-year-old Tunisian coach, who is in his fifth finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, has been the victim of a coup of state, needs police protection and has suffered what he termed a manhunt.
But after all that, he is within reach of a major title, his team having reached the semi-finals where it will face Senegal Sunday.
Along with Luis Fernandez, Jean Tigana and Michel Platini, Giresse was one of the most eye-catching circles in France. He is often remembered for his goal in the epic World Cup semi-final against West Germany in 1982 and for a celebration in the history of the competition.
His coaching career began with two stays in Toulouse, each time winning a first division promotion. He then spent two years with the Georgia national team before settling in Africa.
POLICEPROTECTION
The first stop was Gabon where he had almost resigned as a result of a furious reaction following a defeat against Cameroon.
"I have experienced the public's anger. I do not feel safe. We have been threatened, "he said at the time. "The police had to ensure our exit from the stadium and I was the first to be targeted."
Still, he was confident of staying and helped him qualify for Afcon in 2010 after missing four consecutive editions.
Two years later, he led Mali to an impressive third place but found himself soon after in Bamako during a coup and remained stuck for several days before he could leave for France.
But it was the terms of the contract that prompted him to resign. "It has hindered my independence," he said. "I had to give a list of players for approval and the medical staff was no longer under my direction."
He was back in Afcon with Senegal three years later, but a group stage exit left Giresse, fearing more violence – this time from the media.
"They have gone beyond the limits of decency," he said. "It was verbal abuse of this kind that could have spilled over into physical violence. They almost jumped on me at the end of the press conference. It was a hunt for the man.
He returned with Mali in 2017 but they went out in group stage.
This time, his Tunisian team performed poorly in all three of their group matches before beating Ghana on penalties in the round of 32, helped by a Giresse-inspired move.
The coach brought the reserve goalkeeper, Farouk Ben Mustapha, just for the shootout, and the substitute saved a shot to allow his team to get through.
They finally won a match in 90 minutes Thursday beating Madagascar 3-0, the first time that a team led by Giresse scored three goals in a game of the final.
"We are now the stage of competition that Tunisia has been waiting for for many years," Giresse said. "It was our goal, we must now go as far as possible."
"We want to finish this competition with style."
(Written by Brian Homewood, edited by Christian Radnedge)
Source link
