Algeria coach Georges Leekens has resigned following the team’s early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations.<\/p>\n
The Desert Foxes were one of the pre-tournament favourites but were knocked out of the finals on Monday after failing to win a game in Gabon.<\/p>\n
“For the good of all I decided to quit even though I do it with heartache,” Leekens told the Algerian Football Federation website.<\/p>\n
“I wish all the success in the world to the national side.”<\/p>\n
The 67-year-old Belgian was appointed to the role only in October, for what was his second spell in charge following a four-month stint in 2003.<\/p>\n
He had been expected to take Algeria deep into the latter stages at least in Gabon, coaching a side that contains BBC and Caf African Footballer of the Year Riyad Mahrez and his Leicester team-mate Islam Slimani, Porto’s Yacine Brahimi and Napoli’s Faouzi Ghoulam.<\/p>\n
But the team underperformed at the tournament, beginning their Group B matches with a shock 2-2 draw with Zimbabwe – in which they scored an 82nd-minute goal by Mahrez to rescue a point.<\/p>\n
That was followed by a 2-1 defeat by their north African Neighbours Tunisia, which left them needing to beat Senegal in their final match on Monday to have any chance of making it to the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n
But they were held 2-2 by a reserve Senegal side, who had already won the group before the match, and suffered an embarrassing elimination.<\/p>\n
Algeria are also struggling to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.<\/p>\n
They are bottom of Group B – which also contains Nigeria, Cameroon and Zambia – after two matches, having drawn one and lost one.<\/p>\n
Only the group winners go through and they already trail Nigeria by five points.<\/p>\n
“Given the pressure on the federation and the national team, I preferred to end my contract out of friendship for the president of the FAF (Algerian Football Federation) who deserves respect,” Leekens added.<\/p>\n
Leekens was Algeria’s third coach in a year, following on from Milovan Rajevac and Christian Gourcuff.
\n–
\nBy: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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