Ex-Senegal Coach Cisse Appointed Angola Head Coach on Four Year Contract

Cisse, once an international defender who led Senegal's Lions of Teranga as captain to the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals, quit his position as Libya coach on Wednesday after managing only 10 games.

"Today is a day of renewal, a day on which we rekindle hope and reaffirm with conviction our ambition for the future of national football," stated Alves Simoes, president of the Angolan Football Federation, during the unveiling ceremony for Cisse in Luanda, the capital city.

The 50 year old has agreed to a four year contract.

Simoes described the appointment as a strategy aimed at long term growth and ongoing achievements in Angolan football.

"It symbolises our firm commitment to competence, innovation and the ability to build a team that brings pride to our country."

Cisse held the head coach role for his homeland Senegal for nearly a decade, from 2015 to 2024, steering them to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations win in 2021, having been defeated in the 2019 final.

Angola led their qualification group to secure a spot at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, yet their tournament finals proved underwhelming.

They placed third in Group B, following Egypt and South Africa, earning a mere two points, and missed out on a best third place berth to Tanzania due to inferior goals scored among the top four such teams.

Angola's furthest progress in AFCON history came with quarterfinal runs in 2008 and 2010, while they also earned qualification for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, marking their lone entry into the sport's premier international event.

The side, dubbed 'Palancas Negras' which translates to the black antelopes, sits at 89th in the worldwide rankings.