Libya coach fails to hide admiration for Bafana
Amrouche may be keen to head to SA
So high in praise was he for Bafana Bafana after his team earned a valuable goalless draw away in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match on Saturday that Libya coach Adel Amrouche seemed almost to be auditioning for opposite number Stuart Baxter’s job.
It was Libya though who came with the most effective game plan at a rain-soaked Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, the north Africans snuffing out most South African attacks with excellent organisation.
That did not stop Amrouche singing Bafana’s praises.
“You know when you play South Africa it’s not easy. I know the quality of South African players,” the 50-yearold Algerian-born Belgian national said.
“I always say that in South Africa and Zimbabwe is where you can find diamonds in their players. Individually, I’m not talking about the collective. But I think the quality [of football] is the best in Africa.
“They want results. But you must be patient. I don’t think Rome was built in a day.”
He continued: “I think that my situation in my team is not the same as your coach because [war-torn] Tripoli is not Cape Town. Sometimes you can’t hear music but… [Amrouche indicates jets overhead]. But it’s life. I am happy to bring happiness to people in Libya.
“I prefer to play against Nigeria than Bafana. And for me, Bafana have fantastic players. Nigeria, if you want me to play in Nigeria twice, I will. They believe in juju [witchcraft] too much, and we believe in work.
“Really, I stayed up long nights trying to plan on [how] we were going to stop this one or this one. Because if you stop Vilakazi, you [still] have Dolly and Tau [attacking].”
Libya, which like Bafana have four points, lead the group on goal difference.
However, the 101st-ranked Mediterranean Knights will now play Nigeria twice, while Bafana meet the Seychelles back to back next month.