Igor Tudor, former Marseille coach, in sights of Algerian national team

Two weeks after Vladimir Petkovic’s dismissal, the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) has still not found its new head coach. In the meantime, Anthar Yahia has been tasked with leading the Greens for the first two matches of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, against Zambia and Burundi in late September.

The Bosnian, who had extended his contract before the 2026 World Cup, is paying the price for a disappointing campaign: elimination in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco at the hands of Nigeria, then an exit in the round of 16 of the World Cup against Switzerland on July 3, in what would be the last international match for Riyad Mahrez.

The search for his successor proved more difficult than expected. Paulo Bento, former Portugal head coach, and Félix Sanchez, who managed Qatar at the 2022 World Cup, were in turn announced as close to an agreement before negotiations fell through. The names of Rafa Benitez and Walter Mazzarri also circulated. The salary envelope, capped at 100,000 euros per month, considerably narrows the field of possibilities and appears to be holding back the most prominent profiles.

The FAF also explored the path of Eric Chelle, the Franco-Malian head coach of Nigeria, whose contract expires in five months. His name generated a favorable response among followers of the Fennecs.

Two former Ligue 1 coaches are now in the sights. Gustavo Poyet, who managed Bordeaux in 2018 before selecting Greece from 2022 to 2024, reportedly refused the FAF’s financial proposal. Igor Tudor, on the other hand, has been free since the end of his spells at Juventus and Tottenham. The Croatian coach, who managed Marseille during the 2022-2023 season by imposing an offensive and intense style of play, is presented as the candidate whose profile would best match the national team’s transformation ambitions.