Following his heroics with the Comoros national team at the recent TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, Amir Abdou has been named the new national team coach of Mauritania.
The 49-year-old tactician was appointed on Wednesday following the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Mauritania Football Federation (FFRIM).
His appointment came just one week after resigning as the coach of Comoros after eight years in charge of the Africa Cup of Nations debutantes.
Abdou takes over from Frenchman Da Rosa who fired from the post during Wednesday’s meeting following the unimpressive showing at the tournament in Cameroon.
Da Rosa was sacked as the Mourabitounes coach for losing all their group matches in Africa’s flagship football competition in Cameroon where they failed to score a goal.
Defeats to the Gambia, Tunisia and Mali sealed the fate of the Frenchman paving the way for Abdou, who is also the coach of local giants Nouadibou.
“The Executive Committee met under the leadership of Mr. Ahmad Yahya, President of the Mauritania Football Federation. During this session, the Executive Committee examined a number of points relating to national teams and the overall situation of Mauritanian football”, a press statement from the FFRIM read.
“The meeting decided to put an end to the duties of the national coach, Mr. Didier Gomes Da Rosa and all of his technical staff.
“The meeting decided on the appointment of Mr. Amir Abdou as national coach and a new technical manager for the national “A” and local teams of Mauritania.”
Abdou has been the key figure in the rise of Comoros from one of the lowest ranked sides in world football, helping them to reach the last 16 at the AFCON in Cameroon.
In addition to having changed coaches, the Mauritanian Federation revealed plans to hold an international tournament in Nouakchott during the FIFA International friendly dates in March for the senior team, as well as matches for the national U23 and U20 .
The governing body of Mauritanian football has also decided to increase the rewards allocated to Mauritanian clubs and the full financial support of clubs taking part in international competitions.