This archive report was first published on 12 July 2019.
Madagascar Coach Reflects on AFCON 2019 Run ¶
CAIRO, Egypt, July 12, 2019 - Madagascar coach Nicolas Dupuis has acknowledged the challenge of replicating the team's impressive run to the quarter-finals in future tournaments.
Madagascar's dream run came to an end with a 3-0 loss to Tunisia, a team ranked 83 places above them in the world, in the AFCON 2019 quarter-finals.
Despite the loss, Dupuis expressed pride in the team's achievement, saying, 'I'm very proud of what the players have done since the start of the tournament. I tip my hat to them.'
When asked about his future as the team's coach, Dupuis stated, 'Today the step was too high. As for my future, it doesn’t matter much. I’m someone loyal and my priority is Madagascar.'
Dupuis has been the coach of Madagascar since 2017 and has transformed the team from a low-ranked nation to a surprise package at the AFCON 2019 finals.
He emphasized the need for the team to continue working hard to build on their success, saying, 'It’s going to be difficult to do better next time. There’s a lot of work to be done in Madagascar. We have to use what we did to show that work pays off.'
Madagascar's coach also acknowledged the challenge of maintaining the team's momentum, saying, 'We need to keep working otherwise it could just be a fleeting thing. We need to get back to work.'
