Football: Fifa World Cup Africa qualifiers |30 November 2023

Lead coach Jean-Louis and technical director Haroun during yesterday’s press conference

Some of the objectives met, says lead coach Ralph Jean-Louis

Despite heavy defeats in their first two outings counting for the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Ivory Coast and Kenya, lead coach Ralph Jean-Louis said some of the set objectives have been achieved.

Seychelles lost 0-9 in their first match against Ivory Coast at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé, before suffering a second defeat, losing 0-5 to the Harambee Stars of Kenya at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.

Jean-Louis was temporarily appointed as the lead coach of the team – for the two matches – which is being managed by a caretaker committee, made up of Jonathan Paul (head of delegation), Basil Hoareau (assistant coach), Osama Haroun (technical support), Dylan Paul (liaison and communication officer), Michel Pierre (administration officer), along with three foreign experts in goalkeeping, video and field and osteopathy.

In a press conference held yesterday at Maison Football at Roche Caïman, lead coach Jean-Louis said, despite the results are not so good, they managed to meet some of the targets set.

He said, while missing out on scoring a goal, they managed to cover 107km, and completed 147 passes in the first match, while in the second match, the players covered 115km as a team, and completed 211 passes, which according to him shows progression in their football. 

This, he said, shows that the players were very enthusiastic to meet these physical objectives which shows the potential of the young players.

Assisted by Haroun for yesterday’s press conference, lead coach Jean-Louis walked members of the press through the analysis of their matches against Ivory Coast and Kenya through a video presentation, adding that a detailed report has been presented to the executive committee, while waiting on a final decision on who will take up the national team for the remaining qualifiers.

He said preparations for the matches were not as expected, but they are adapting new methods in training to boost the players’ physical performance using technology, with the aim of moving away from the old ways of doing things.

He explained that they are using technology such as Sports beeper and GPS to monitor and analyse players’ physical abilities, adding that with the new equipment, it is easier to set criteria and target and objectives for the players, while through videos, team analysis is being carried out to identify weaknesses and areas to improve on.

He said they will be consulting the local clubs prior to selection and training plans regarding the new methods, making it easier to work between players’ passion to play for the national team and their clubs’ commitment and duties.

On his part, Haroun noted that the players selected for the qualifiers are grasping the new method to improve their performance physically, something which is crucial in today’s football.

He said the young squad has shown progression in terms of passing, transitioning from defense to attack and duals on the field, adding that by using these technologies, the players also have better grasp on their own physical level and can properly work towards improvements.

Haroun further noted that the statistics collected from both matches will enable them to better plan and prepare training methods, while it also indicates that Seychellois players have a lot of potentials.

He added that, if successfully implemented, these methods will also inspire other players to do the same, thus improving the performances at club level, allowing the national league to be become more interesting.

Neil Sirame