Two rejections, then a public accusation
Forty candidates a year, ten places. Abdeslam Ouaddou has been on the wrong side of that maths twice.
Turned down at the entrance stage for the French professional coaching badge on both attempts, the Orlando Pirates boss took his case to L’Equipe and said French football needed to “bring in a bit more colour among coaches”. The implication was clear enough. He was pointing at his background and the role he believes it played in both setbacks.
The French Football Federation responded the same day.
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The federation defends its selection process
Laurent Chatrefoux, a member of the national technical department and the man in charge of the BEPF, rejects the claim outright. “Not only does that run against our core values, it would be counter-productive.” Candidates, he says, are judged on their careers and their work, “whatever their background and profile”.
The numbers do give the process some cover. Around 40 candidates apply every year for 10 spots, with two oral exams in front of a panel of professionals. Three out of four walk away with nothing.
“We understand his frustration, but not his argument,” Chatrefoux insists, while pointing out that Ouaddou passed his BEF and then his DES under the federation’s wing without trouble.
A debate bigger than one man
Jacky Bonnevay, a BEPF tutor who was close to Ouaddou during his time at Nancy, said he was “a little surprised by his comments”, while also noting how well the former Franco-Moroccan defender is doing abroad.
The federation talks up “diversity and mixed backgrounds” as a long-standing strength of French football. That does not shut the debate down. The shortage of coaches from immigrant backgrounds on French benches keeps resurfacing, and with ten places a year on the BEPF, the tension is baked in.
Ouaddou, meanwhile, gets on with his career in South Africa.
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