You have to keep working and always want more – Amir Abdou
Amir Abdou never presents himself as a miracle worker - just a hard worker that is passionate about the game of football.
After his first TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations with the Comoros in 2022, the Marseille-born Abdou has just qualified Mauritania for their third AFCON.
CAFOnline had an exclusive interview with the tactician who is aiming at making history in a country that has welcomed him with open arms.
Let's take a moment to look back at your performance in the qualifiers of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Côte d'Ivoire 2023. Against Gabon in the final match, how did you feel when the final whistle went?
I was relieved. I thought about all the sacrifices the players had made. We knew we were in a tough group (Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Gabon), and that any team could qualify at any moment. That's what we saw on the last day, we didn't know who was going to go through. With a lot of sacrifice and perseverance, we achieved our goal. Personally, I'm delighted to be playing in a second Africa Cup of Nations.
Group I, with Mauritania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Gabon, offered us some of the best scenarios of the qualifying campaign. Did you ever have any doubts?
No, absolutely not! The match where we had the most difficulty was against DR Congo in Lubumbashi, where we found ourselves down to 10 against 11, and lost 3-1. We had a chance to come back and we believed in it.
With experience, I've learnt to be pragmatic, to calculate matches. To know how to plan our away and home games well. It's been a long road, but to say that I doubted would be an understatement. I never doubted because I had confidence in my group.
Amir Abdou and the African Cup of Nations is a special story. At the last AFCON, you were unable to sit on the bench for the Comoros' Round of 16 match against Cameroon, due to Covid. How was this for you?
When you take part in your first Africa Cup of Nations, you're still discovering things. It helped me a lot in terms of group management, and I learned a lot on a human level. I'm not telling you anything new when I say that the health crisis was difficult for everyone. I was managing my team from a distance, which wasn't an easy thing to do.
That said, this competition has given me some of the greatest emotions. I'll never forget the match against Ghana. The scenario was just crazy. There were so many factors involved. We said to ourselves, 'When are we going to go through, there's no way we're going to go through (laughs)". Honestly, I had some unforgettable moments. I can only take positives from it.
Now we're going to get ready for the next AFCON, which is going to be different, but there will still be just as many emotions.
What has changed between Amir Abdou 2021 and Amir Abdou 2023?
A bit more experience. I've gained a lot of perspective. I've taken on board a lot of what I learned with the Comoros, and that's served me well. Right now, I'm a bit stronger in terms of what I want to do now, in terms of management and the relationships I can have with the players.
You're joining a very select group of tacticians who have managed to qualify two different teams for the AFCON. Do you realize how far you've come?
It's pretty hard to realize. When you're at work and you've got objectives, you're overwhelmed by the work you want to put in place, and you don't see things that way. When people tell me that I share this circle with great coaches like Claude Leroy and Hervé Renard, it's an honour for me. But you have to keep your feet on the ground, keep working and always want more - that's my motto.
Tell us a little about Mauritania?
First and foremost, Mauritania is populated by lovely, helpful people with boundless kindness. I've been very well received here.
In terms of football, it's a really growing. This will be Mauritania's third appearance at AFCON. We have the honour of having Mr. Ahmed Ould Yahya, President of the federation, who is a passionate man and does a lot for football and I totally identify with him. There are structures being developed all over the country, and we're supporting the academy.
If we stick to this guiding principle, this country has a wonderful future. We're taking part in a third AFCON, so we're going to have to keep working to get to the fourth, fifth and so on. Mauritania has to stick to its plans. We've achieved one goal, now we have to keep on working towards others.
We are just a few days away from the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Côte d'Ivoire 2023 Draw. Have you made any calculations? Are there teams you'd like to meet and others you'd like to avoid?
It doesn't matter who the opponent is, and I mean that sincerely! There are so many surprises at AFCON. We're in Pot 3, so our hands aren't tied. If we were in Pot 1, I'd say I would like to meet such-and-such a team, but that's not the case. It's up to us to perform.
What do you expect from Mauritania at this AFCON?
To do better than previous editions. We'll be looking for a positive result, as Mauritania are yet to win a match. Our aim is to change that.
What does the AFCON mean to you?
It's the pinnacle. It's a magical competition. As people from the humble communities, we see mini-AFCONS everywhere. The kids who take part in these competitions dream of being at the real AFCON and we have the opportunity to take part. We can't wait to be there.