Hakim Madane tips African team to win World Cup

Former Algerian international Hakim Madane has predicted that an African team will win the World Cup in the next 10-15 years.

The The former JS Kabylie star told CAFOnline in an exclusive interview that, “The level of African football is constantly improving and in the coming years we will see an African team crowned as World Cup champions.

“Yes, I nominate an African team to achieve this. I can say that after 10 to 15 years, one of the African teams will have the possibility to lift the World Cup.”

Nicknamed as the “Little Maradona” in his playing days, Madane is considered as one of the most successful players in the history of Algerian local football. His history is a rich one and will forever remain etched in the football books of Algeria.

“I won many titles as a player. I won the league title and was crowned champion of the Republic Cup, the African Champion Clubs Cup and the CAF Cup and I also participated in three editions of the Africa Cup of Nations in 1986, 1988 and 1992 as a player. This is my pride. I played in Portugal for a full seven years.”

“The level of African football is constantly improving and in the coming years we will see an African team crowned as World Cup champions. I can say that after 10 to 15 years, one of the African teams will have the possibility to lift the World Cup,” he added.

Madane was speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2022 and also spoke at length about the tournament and how it is with great pleasure that Algeria are hosting the seventh edition in four cities including Algiers, Annaba, Constantine and Oran.

The JS Kabylie star in the 1980s and 1990s commended the organization of the CHAN as a competition that has opened many doors for players. Debuted in 2009, the CHAN is organized for players that feature in their domestic leagues.

“CHAN is an opportunity for the local players to stand out because major tournaments like the World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations is for all players, but the CHAN is for locals only and this is positive because the local players now have an opportunity to shine and become professional,” Madane explained in detail.

Madane who is now serving as a member of the Federal Bureau of the Algerian Football Federation said, “The matches at this CHAN have so far been characterized by a good technical level, and in the knockout stages the matches will be more lively and not as reserved as they were in the group stages. I think there will be a great possibility for new players to emerge in the current tournament.”

On an individual level, Madane revealed that being part of the Local Organizing Committee for the CHAN 2022 in Algeria has been a lifechanging experience.

“For a long time, I wanted to put my experience as a player in management, and I have this hobby where I worked as a manager with JS Kabylie and JSM Bejaia. Previously, I was responsible for organizing the Mediterranean Games, the Arab U-17 Cup and the North African tournament for youth groups. And now, I am working at the CHAN based in Algiers,” Madane said with great fulfilment and gratitude.

“We are working in cooperation with the Confederation of African Football during the organization of the seventh edition of CHAN. We are dealing with professional people and learning from them and from their experience especially since Algeria has not organized a major football event since 1990.

“Organizing tournaments like this where everyone will follow the beginning and the end. Thank God we succeeded in the opening ceremony in a big way, and we see in all the cities that host the tournament, a large influx of fans, especially families.

“This is amazing to see such a phenomenon where a big number of Algerian families are going to the stadiums. This is a precedent in the history of the country and this matter made me very happy because with the presence of families in the stadiums, several behaviors change, and words also change, and this is a positive and joyful matter. Interacting with the families is 100% positive and great to experience.”

The TotalEnergies CHAN 2022 edition is the first edition with 18 teams and has now reached the quarter-final stage with Algeria taking on Côte d’Ivoire in Algiers before Senegal face neighbours Mauritania in Annaba on 27 January.

Debutants Madagascar will then come up against Mozambique in a COSAFA derby in Constantine before Niger go head-to-head with Ghana in Oran.