Afcon 2019: Algeria and Senegal have proven we should trust local coaches - Francis Xavier

Former AFC Leopards midfielder Francis Xavier has drummed up support for local coaches in Africa.

Xavier has reminded readers of the fact Aliou Cisse of Senegal and Djamel Belmadi of Algeria led their respective teams to the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals.

"It is high time we start trusting our local coaches because they understand the players more than maybe a foreign one. They also gel with the players with ease and that ensures there is fast progress in the growth of the teams," Xavier told Goal.

Xavier believes there is no shortage of capable leaders in the continent who can qualify their teams to major tournaments.

"You could also feel how (Aliou) Cisse encouraged his players after the loss (Afcon final defeat to Algeria) and the players appreciated that from my observations. We have several coaches who could have done better but were never given enough chances and trust to showcase what they had up their sleeves," he added.

He also pointed out what African football associations have to provide for local tacticians to succeed.

"Trust is key, the moment you hand somebody a job and see he can do it well, let him handle it for a reasonable length of time. Take him out for refresher courses so he can come back with some new ideas to help him perform the duties at hand," he concluded.

Belmadi's Algeria lifted Afcon after beating Senegal 1-0 in the final on Friday night.