In recent years, dual-nationality coaches have started to make a mark, with figures like Aliou Cissé, Djamel Belmadi, and Walid Regragui. For the quarter-finals of the 2024 African Cup of Nations starting this Friday, there will be three dual-nationality coaches aiming for the semi-finals: Kaba Diawara (Guinea), Éric Chelle (Mali), and Emerse Fae (Ivory Coast). This represents a subtle revolution, as they are not purely “local” coaches. Djamel Belmadi (Algeria 2019) and Aliou Cissé (Senegal 2022) hail from the “9-4” region.

The former was born in a city in the Val-de-Marne department, while the latter arrived there at the age of 9 from Senegal. Could their dual cultural background have influenced their past success? This may well be the case for Walid Regragui, the Franco-Moroccan coach who led the Atlas Lions to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup. These three coaches have recently been behind the greatest successes of their respective teams, leading to speculation about whether the future of African national teams might lie with these “mixed” coaches of the game.

Having dual nationality and being familiar with the cultural realities of their first country, while also being immersed in the subtleties of the second, allows these dual-nationality coaches to gain an advantage. Aliou Cissé can easily converse in Wolof with Ismaïla Sarr, speak Manding with Sadio Mané, and communicate in French with Iliman Ndiaye or Abdou Diallo. Similarly, Djamel Belmadi could exchange in Arabic and French with his players. “When you see Aliou Cissé holding onto the reins of Senegal’s team for so long, that’s a feat.

Restoring order, as Regragui did, is also a great success,” says Claude Le Roy. As the quarter-finals begin, three of the eight qualified coaches are dual-nationality: Kaba Diawara (Guinea), Éric Chelle (Mali), and Emerse Fae (Ivory Coast), compared to four “white wizards,” namely Sébastien Desabre (DRC), José Peseiro (Nigeria), Hugo Broos (South Africa), Pedro Gonçalves (Angola), and only one “true” local coach: Bubista (Cape Verde). Kaba Diawara, Éric Chelle, and Emerse Fae all hold French nationality in addition to that of the country they are coaching. Their performance in this African Cup of Nations could confirm the success of dual-nationality coaches.

Born in Toulon 48 years ago, former Guinean international Kaba Diawara succeeded in qualifying Syli for their first quarter-final since 2015 and could lead them to the semi-finals for the first time since 1976. His team will face Ivory Coast, dreaming of achieving even greater success. Meanwhile, Nantes native Emerse Fae has revitalized Ivory Coast, which struggled in the group stage but showed heroism in the round of 16 against the defending champion, Senegal. His ability to motivate Ivorian players likely had more impact than that of Jean-Louis Gasset, who arrived in Ivory Coast in May 2022 and was dismissed after the group stage of the CAN.

“In this team also, there are dual-nationals, and he manages to strike a balance and understand each one of the players,” says a source.