Allez Algeria

Statement from Chairman of the Board, Hichem Boudiaf

It is my pleasure to announce today that the board has selected a new head coach for the CABBA criquets.  Rafik Amara will take over the position effective immediately.  We have spoken with numerous coaches throughout central Algeria over the last two weeks in an effort to align with an individual who has the leadership potential and the ambition to bring Les Criquets out of its current malaise, and set the program up for an eventual push back into League 1.  Mr. Amara may lack in experience at manage a club of this side, but his background in developing youth - as evidenced by his previous role as technical director for the youth squads in Remchi - squads that routinely competed for national titles in the U17, U15, and U13 levels - will go a long way in helping CABBA develop the many talented young players in our system.  Mr. Amara will begin his tasks on the training ground tomorrow, meeting the players and leading them in training in advance of our next home match against MC El Eulma.  I would like to thank Sofiane Bensalem for his flexibility in leading the team over the last two weeks.  It was great to see the team generate some results under his leadership and I believe in conjunction with Mr. Amara, we will have a great tandem leading our youth within the program.

Statement from Rafik Amara, Head Coach CABBA

I would like to thank Mr. Boudiaf and the board for providing me the opportunity to lead this storied club.  I have been eager to begin my journey to manage a club that plays in the top tiers of our nation.  The opportunity to come to Bordj Bour Arréridj and lead this program, one with over 90 years of history, is a great honour.  I recognize that many fans are dissatisfied with the state of the club, and its current performance on the season.  Despite my youth, I have spent my last five years building up a youth program with an emphasis on technical development, and player progression.  I am pleased to have progressed numerous players into amateur and semi-professional squads over the last few years, and I believe in focusing on technical skills and clear tactics, we will be able to stabilize and improve this program.  I will take the time to meet the team, the staff, and the supporters before any drastic changes are made.  We will have some immediate changes on the pitch, where we will begin to transition towards the style of football I prefer to play, which is based upon direct counter-attack and utilizing our wings.  This style, coupled with the programs youth, should put us in more competitive positions and enable more goals to be scored.  We will be moving away from the stale 4-4-2, and embracing a wide formation 4-3-3, with the use of a defensive midfielder playing low.  In watching the squad, I am excited for Tarek Toumi to step into this key DM role as his knowledge of the game will help us transition the counter attack.  Our team does lack some experience in the centre backs - the youth  of this team is a limitation in the fact that these players just do not have the minutes of experience to be able to make sound technical decisions.  I will work with Antar Benyahia, Azzedine Derbal, Adam Medjahed, and Naïm Hamzaoui to develop their field presence and awareness, and help them work as a unit to develop their game.  I do have my eye on the upcoming transfer window, and am looking to bolster our squad in that timeframe.  We are not quite through to the middle of the season, so we continue to have a chance to stabilize, avoid relegation, and set ourselves up for next season.  Thank you

Editorial by Mehdi Bettache, football writer for the Bordj Bou Arréridj Soccer Chronicle

It appears that CABBA have completely mailed in their future with the recent selection of Rafik Amara as the new lead of our esteemed club in this city.  After the debacle of earlier this season - the selection of a nobody named Qamar Morceli - the path to recovery is apparently the selection of a new nobody - Rafik Amara - to plunge this squad into the amateur leagues.  It was not in too distant memory where Les Criquets played in League 1 (albeit pre-COVID) and before that a decade long stint in our top division.  Now we flail about League 2, squandering opportunities against similar squads.  I fail to see the logic or reasoning behind picking a manager with zero experience twice in a row.  Lets face it - Sofian Bensalem’s two weeks of leadership brought the most interesting football we have seen this season.  Though the Round 3 defeat in the Algerian Cup was a disappointment, the squad pushed the match into extra time in the matches waning seconds.  Albeit the extra time period was a disaster, the team showed some gumption.  He followed that with two wins back to back - something we haven’t seen in a year.  Clearly, that would be too much success in too little time to merit giving Mr. Bensalem a crack and leading the squad.  As Director of the Youth Program Bensalem literally brought the same experience to the table as Amara, only with proof that he could get the team to mesh.  About the only positive of the last month is the fact that Younes Belferoum has toned down his desire to flee this squad.  That provides some hope.  But the dismal play of Zakaria Ghalem, Youcef Haddou, and the day care centre of six, 16 year old defenders, leaves this journalist skeptical that anything will change.  I regret to say it, but this squad will soon be playing Saturday afternoon games across the Sahara, challenging village squads in the amateur leagues over the next few years:

MATCHDAY 14

CABB ARRÉRIDJ  (4-2-7, 10th)  0:1 (0:1)  MC EL EULMA (7-1-5, 6th)

45’ - Geriova (MCEE)

MATCHDAY 15

US CHAOUIA (6-1-7, 7th)  3:1 (2:0)  CABB ARRÉRIDJ (4-2-8, 11th)

16’ - Ghimouz (USC)

22’ - Ghimouz (USC)

53’ - Ghimouz - Saved Penalty by Khaled Amara

84’ - Moussaoui (USC)

85’ - Rabah Moussaoui (pen) (CAB)

EDITORIAL by KAMEL MAOUCHE, ALGERIAN SOCCER MESSENGER

Well what was really to be expected over the last 10 days?  Honestly?  Yet again, we have watched 3 hours of football without a score from open play.  Yes, the boys look like they come out ready to play, but the manage to defeat themselves mentally within fifteen minutes of every match.  Shockingly 18,000+ came to see the start of the Rafik Amara era on December 23rd.  If anything was to be taken away from the day, it was that the weather was nice and it was a pleasant afternoon to spend in the stadium.  But nothing from chances, nothing from possession, and nothing from creativity.  If the goal of this new 4-3-3 is to blast the ball up field past our wingers - or if the goal was to take heavy touches that we immediately lose - than the new coach has been a rousing success.  Yes, I get he has to work with what he’s got, but I haven’t really seen the squad be to inspired to try something new.  The MC El Eulma game at least was competitive, but the aberration that was the Friday evening match in Oum El Bouahi made me wonder why I am not already watching our town’s amateur side (update - USBB Arréridj is actually a bigger disaster - winless through 15).

I fear for our town not having a single football club worth watching.  We have always looked forward to the autumn and winter, to divert ourselves with watching the local club bring the town together.  Our spectators are still loyal, but that will only last so long.  Basketball season is providing far more entertaining, and frankly, watching CR Bélouizdad chase its fifth straight championship - as boring as that is, at least provides more entertainment.  

We at least had a bright spot last match in Belferoum looking like he shows some passion again.  And Khaled Amara’s save of Ghimouz’s hattrick attempt penalty, was something to be excited for (too bad we were already two goals in the hole).  Shockingly, there is still some hope here at the middle of the season.  If our sieve defense could keep some balls away from our opponents a bit more effectively, there’s a chance we can avoid the relegation.  We sit 13th, in the last relegation spot, only on goal differential.  And the cellar teams are truly atrocious.  Let’s turn this around in our next match - IB Lakhdaria is by no means an insurmountable squad.  They sit in 9th, but with only a single point more than CABBA.  A win could catapult CABBA out of the relegation zone and as high as 8th.  It really is a testament between the haves and have nots in League 2 East.  The battle between first and 5th is separated by 4 points, and the battle from 8th to 14th is also a four point gap.