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. 

MATCHDAY 16

CABB ARRÉRIDJ (4-2-9, 13th)  1:3 (0:1)  IB LAKHDARIA (4-3-8, 9th)

42’ - A. Toumi (pen) (IBL)

64’ - Benkouider (IBL)

66’ - Larabi (IBL)

87’ - Abdelhamid Maouche (CAB)

CABBA ON PATH OF NO RETURN - Mehdi Bettache, The Bordj Bou Arréridj Soccer Chronicle

It has become apparent that any trip out to the Stade du 20 Août 1955 is little more than an excuse for fresh air - or an excuse to breathe in cigarette smoke.  Apparently there are still more than 16,500 rubes in this city that either think this team is going to turn it around, or 16,500 masochists who will watch this derailment of a season as a solemn duty.  I am practically at a loss for words at this point to describe what unfolds each week.  We all hoped the turn of the new year might be some sort of trigger, but alas, same lack of talent, same lack of understanding of the game, and same lack of effort.  

For some apparent reason, Rafik Amara decided to go with young back-up keeper Salim Hadded for this match.  Perhaps he wanted to avoid any thoughts of nepotism (though Khaled Amara is of no relation), or perhaps he just flipped a coin, but young Hadded - who hasn’t played since the Algerian Cup Third Round, was gifted an opportunity to throw away one of the few remaining winnable matches of the season.  Any hope that this was to be turning point evaporated upon Hadded’s nomination.  To be fair to Salim, I can’t hold him accountable for inexperience - one must play numerous matches at a high level to attain a full time starting position - and at 16, the fact that he already has four appearances in the league this year is pretty impressive.  But when you play in front of him, four of his peers, and attempt to anchor that with a increasingly frustrated Haroun Bordji (more on that later), it is something that is cruising for a disaster.  Again it was Antar Benyahia who made the foolish tackle in the box, conceding a penalty at the brink of halftime.  CABBA were playing atrocious (as per usual) and one thought we might just escape to half all square at nil, and move to repeat the earlier nil-nil draw in the first leg.  Oh no, let’s not make this easy.  The penalty was trite, easily smashed in with the toddler Hadded with little clue on tendencies or mind games.

What made it worse was CABBA’s approach this game, which appeared to be to hatchet down the attacking IB Lakhdaria team at every opportunity, committing an impressive 21 fouls in the match.  Ole!  And, as usual - though lets be frank it doesn’t really matter anymore - careless fouls are chased with cards, something both Azzedine Derbal and Youcef Haddou were able to “win” (a win is a win, right?) - and earning them a suspension for our next match due to card accumulation.  Perhaps I ought give them the benefit of the doubt - knowing our next match is away to 2nd palace Skikda (who lost their first match of the season today), missing the next game is likely prudent.  A 64th minute cross was completely whiffed on by Haroun Bordji - which is saying something as the only experienced defender, allowing Benkouider to head in past Hadded and putting the game out of reach (it was out of reach at half time!!).  Young Derbal, clearly losing his head, suavely fouled Larabi by flagrantly tripping him.  Yellow number two for the game, and an early shower for Azzedine - who was trying to make certain he didn’t have to travel to Skikda.  Down to 10, CABBA wasted less than a minute to concede their third.  A trio of subs after the red card - including Mohamed Makhlouf - an academy player getting his first minutes on the senior team - was the best Rafik Amara could summon.  Completely lost with the substitutions and position shifts, Lakhdaria went for the jugular, with Larabi bashing in.  Two goals, 3 minutes.  

Being down 3, it would be an impossibility to do anything in open play.  It had, at this point, been 305 minutes (yep, 5 hours!) since CABBA had scored from open play.  With the cataclysm of defense and goalkeeping, Amara made the only smart move of the day and subbed on goalkeeper Khaled Amara to see out the game.

THere was a minor highlight, late in the 87th minute, when Youcef Haddou sent down a through ball that poetically fell to the foot of an open Abdelhamid Maouche, who two touched and then ripped a blast into the twine for the youngsters first ever senior goal.  Too bad it was of little consequence.

After the match, the scuttlebut out of the clubhouse was that Haroun Bordji unleashed a tirade on Rafik Amara, telling him in not so delicate terms, that the team has become worse in the two weeks he has been the coach.  Bordji was upset with the change in formation, which he said was far too complicated for a group of teenagers to manage.  Younes Belferoum - who seems to be resigned the last few weeks - took Bordji’s back.  Haroun apparently demanded to be discharged in the upcoming transfer window.  So if CABBA’s supporters have anything to fear, its that the team may actually lose more talent in the coming weeks, and shun itself to the Division Nationale Amateur.

Bring on Skikda!  They only drubbed us 5-0 at home, so maybe they can go for double digits this Friday night?