Pendulum swings to Metsu
…Former Senegal’s coach looks set to lead Eagles to 2010 World Cup in South Africa
By EPHRAIM NWOSU
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Bruno Metsu
Bruno Metsu, former Senegal’s coach, could get the nod to lead Nigeria’s Super Eagles to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The coach, also known as Abdul Karim, is a French football manager and the head coach of the national team of Qatar. Russia’s Coach, Guus Hiddink, with Metsu, Serbia’s Under-21 Chief Coach, Ratomir Djukovic, Bayern Munich’s Louis van Gaal, Republic of Ireland’s manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, and former England’s caretaker Coach, Peter Taylor, are among the candidates shortlisted for interviews for the Eagles’ job.
Metsu is perhaps most notable in Europe for coaching Senegal to a surprised victory over France in the opening match of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. His playing career was largely based in his native France, along with a spell in Belgium with Anderlecht.
After retiring as a player, he took up the assistant manager post at his last club, Beauvais Oise, and by 1988, he had become the full-time manager of the club. He spent over a decade coaching in France before his first foray into international management.
Metsu took over an African national side, Guinea, in 2000 before joining Senegal later in that year. He helped the Francophone side to a spot in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which was the country’s first-ever appearance in the tournament, where she was expected to prop up a group containing France, Denmark and Uruguay.
Senegal pulled off a shock in the opening match of the tournament, however, beating former colonial masters and defending World Cup and European champions, France 1–0. Metsu’s side qualified from the group stage and beat Sweden in the round of 16, earning Senegal the recognition as the first African side to reach the quarterfinals of the World Cup since Cameroon in 1990.
The team was finally beaten in the quarterfinals by Turkey in the extra time on Olhan Manslz’s golden goal.
After Senegal defeated France in the opening game, Senegalese President, Abdoulaye Wade, declared a national holiday to honour the team.
Metsu’s connection to the country went even further as he got converted to Islam after marrying a Muslim woman and taking the name Abdul Karim.
His psychological approach to the game had led him to encourage Senegal’s players to focus on France’s weaknesses rather than their strengths, using videos clips to his advantage and adjusting his coaching methods to the unique challenges of an African side.
Metsu’s success with Senegal led him to the lucrative Middle East, where in the United Arab Emirates, he took over defending champions, Al Ain, owned by the Emir of Abu Dhabi. He led the side to victory in the first edition of the re-branded AFC Champions League in 2003, completing a double including the country’s league championship. This led to a host of offers for the Frenchman, who joined Qatari side, Al-Gharafa to the dismay of his former employers. Metsu was eventually forced to pay a fine for a breach of contract.
He led his new side to the Qatari Championship in his first season, going unbeaten in the process. However, with players in the league contracted to the country’s Olympic Committee rather than their clubs, the side was dismantled with former AC Milan and Chelsea defender, Marcel Desailly joining Qatar SC.
Metsu maintains that the Crown Prince of Qatar orchestrated the moves due to his unhappiness at his club, Al-Sadd, being dethroned from the top of the Q-League.
He, nevertheless, led his side to victory in the 2005/06 Sheikh Jassem Cup, but conditions had deteriorated to the point that he departed.
Next up for Metsu was a brief stint in Saudi Arabia, where two-time defending champions, Al-Ittihad were struggling in the fifth place and were in need of a late surge up the table. Metsu was handed a one-month contract by the club’s President, Mansour Al-Bilali, and he took the club to the third place on the table, eventually losing in a play-off semi-final to Al-Hilal.
He returned to the United Arab Emirates as national team boss in 2006, coaching his side to victory in the 2007 Gulf Cup of Nations in front of a packed stadium in Abu Dhabi on January 30, 2007. It was the country’s first Gulf Cup win, with Metsu achieving what former national team bosses Tomislav Ivic, Roy Hodgson, Carlos Queiroz and Dick Advocaat had all failed to do.
The UAE crashed out of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, finishing third in a group containing Japan, regional rivals, Qatar and co-hosts Vietnam.
Despite his contract lasting until 2010, Metsu resigned from the head coach position on September 22, 2008, after suffering defeat in two straight World Cup qualifiers at home.
Metsu’s overall record with the side was 13 wins (11 official), 9 draws (3 official) and 20 losses (8 official) in 42 matches (22 official), scoring 47 goals and conceding 59.
On September 25, 2008, Metsu returned to Qatar, accepting a job as manager of the national side with the hope of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
