After two participations, Mauritania returns to the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) hoping to do better than its previous appearances in 2014 and 2014.
Mauritanian football has been in constant progression and the national teams across all age groups have continued to knock on the door of continental success.
It is with this growth in mind that the West African nation heads out to Algeria with an ambition to mark their best ever performance at the tournament specifically tailored for local based players.
Their main objectives remain modest to ensure they are achievable.
In qualification, the Mourabitounes beat Guinea-Bissau with identical 1-0 scorelines home and away in the final match. However, they know only too well that to compete with the best in the continent, they need to raise their levels in Group D with an ambition of making it into the next round.
Match Schedule (Group D)
January 20, 5 p.m. local time – Angola vs Mauritania, Miloud Hadefi Stadium, Oran
January 24, 5 p.m. local time – Mauritania vs Mali, Miloud Hadefi Stadium, Oran
Coach: Amir Abdou
Coach Amir Abdou made his mark with Comoros’ performance at the Africa Cup of Nations, which earned him a reputation that saw him appointed to manage Mauritania.
The 50-year old is not new to local Mauritanian football, having been coach of local side FC Nouadhibou for a long time, even when he was coaching Comoros.
His style of a balanced offensive-defensive approach has already earned him results and will look towards the same strengths when he leads out the team in Algeria in January.
Players to watch
The national team is dominantly made up of players from local champions FC Nouadhibou.
Hemeya Tanji will once again be the Mauritanian attraction in this tournament. A player with great qualities, the 22-year-old striker has impressed in the local leagues. For a player who has had his growth severally stunted by injury, he will finally have a platform to prove his worth and explode in the glare of the whole continent.
CHAN history
Mauritania has qualified for the tournament only twice in its history, making its debut in 2014. This was their first ever qualification to a continental competition, then under French coach Patrice Neveu. They however had a debut to forget after losing all their group matches, but the qualification in itself was a massive milestone for their local football.
They missed the 2016 edition and managed to qualify for the 2018 showpiece in Morocco and once again were on the losing end, suffering defeat in all their matches.
This will be their third appearance at the CHAN tournament.
History in CAF Interclubs
Just like its national teams, Mauritania have not had enough weight in the CAF interclubs. But, with the changes within the local football family, FC Nouadhibou, the country’s most successful club, reached the group stage of the Confederation Cup in 2019.
Source: Confederation of African Football