The Mauritania Football Federation (FFRIM) has parted ways with head coach Amir Abdou following the national team’s failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, Afrosport reports.
The Lions of Chinguetti finished third in Group C in the qualifying rounds with seven points, one behind Botswana, who finished in second place and six behind group winners Egypt.
This marked the first time Mauritania has failed to reach the AFCON finals since they debuted in 2019 in Egypt.
Abdou led the team to the AFCON finals last time out in Ivory Coast, where they made history by making it out of the group stages for the first time.
The FFRIM, however, thanked Abdou for his contributions to Mauritanian football during his tenure with both the senior and local national teams.
The statement read: “The FFRIM board held an emergency meeting chaired by President Ahmed Ould Yahya to review the national teams’ performances, especially in light of the senior team’s failure to qualify for AFCON 2025.
“The board approved the mutual agreement to part ways with coach Amir Abdou and expressed its deep appreciation for his contributions, including reaching the second round of AFCON 2023 and the quarterfinals of the 2022 African Nations Championship (CHAN).”
Meanwhile, the FFRIM revealed the appointment of Spanish coach Aritz López Garai to lead the local national team ahead of the upcoming CHAN qualifiers next month.
