The search for Algeria's new head coach has moved fast over the past few hours. The National Technical College, which answers to the Algerian Football Federation, held a meeting that threw up strong signs the next man is all but decided. Spaniard Felix Sanchez is closing in on the job vacated by Switzerland's Vladimir Petkovic, and the choice has stirred plenty of controversy.
According to Algerian newspaper "El Khabar", the mood in the National Technical College meeting suggested the debate had shifted. This was no longer about who the new coach would be, but about wrapping up the paperwork for his appointment.
Three men set the tone. National technical director Ali Mouser, National Technical College coordinator Rabah Saadane and National Technical Directorate member Karim Kacem all sent clear signals that Felix Sanchez had been the pick from the start.
In their presentation, the officials talked up the strengths of the Spanish coaching school. At the same time, they stressed that the next coach would not be asked to play "tiki-taka", but to bring a philosophy that suits the Algerian squad and the kind of players in it.
The other names on the shortlist looked like little more than formalities under review. Portugal's Roberto Martinez, Belgium's Tom Saintfiet and the Netherlands' Frank de Boer all featured, along with Spain's Rafael Benitez. The discussions revealed that Benitez had demanded he bring his full backroom team of 11 people, a request the Algerian Federation would not accept.
Antar Yahia will be the link
The meeting also tackled the language question and the risk of communication problems inside the squad if a Spanish coach came in.
Mouser, Saadane and Kacem waved the concern away. They explained that Antar Yahia, thanks to his command of Spanish, would join the senior national team's new technical staff and act as the link between coach and players.
One of the standout moments came from MC Alger technical director Boualem Charef, who pushed for a second Algerian assistant to sit alongside Antar Yahia.
Charef put forward former international defender Samir Zaoui for the role, arguing he had the personality and experience to add something real to the technical staff.
The proposal drew a notable reaction. Rabah Saadane greeted it with a broad smile, and many read plenty into that: not mere courtesy, but perhaps early approval of the idea.
Why is Sanchez ahead of his rivals?
The newspaper "El Khabar" reported that every sign points Sanchez's way. He looks the likeliest to take charge of Algeria.
Several factors explain it. Chief among them is his willingness to work with an Algerian assistant, the condition the Algerian Football Federation insisted on, while some of the other candidates showed little appetite for it.
Money tipped the scales too. Sanchez's financial demands come in lower than those of the other coaches on the Federation's radar.
Yet his arrival is far from a clean fit. The question marks hover over the technical reasoning behind picking him ahead of coaches with deeper European experience and richer CVs.
Sanchez's finest hour came with Qatar, whom he led to the 2019 Asian Cup title. Those good times did not last.
Criticism rained down after the 2022 World Cup on home soil. Qatar crashed out at the group stage with three straight defeats and not a single point, one of the worst showings by a host nation in the tournament's history.
Subsequent experiences that did not live up to expectations
His next moves brought little joy. Sanchez took over Ecuador, only for the Ecuadorian Federation to end his contract after the Copa America in July 2024 and the exit to defending champions Argentina.
The results were not a disaster, but the criticism zeroed in on his style of play and technical choices. That hurried him out of the door.
His most recent job, at Qatari club Al Sadd, went no better. The contract ran until July 2026, yet it ended early in mid-October 2025 as results slid at home and the team faltered in the AFC Champions League.
The doubts run deeper than tactics. They stretch to how the Spaniard handles matters inside the dressing room.
Word from Doha, from Algerian players and players of Algerian origin who have worked under him, paints Sanchez as a complicated character who is not easy to deal with.
All of this hints at trouble ahead. Building harmony with Antar Yahia in the technical staff could prove tricky, and the same friction might spill into his relationship with the players, should Algeria confirm his appointment.