Following the squad’s inability to earn a spot in the 2025 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, the Mauritania Football Federation (FFRIM) has announced the mutual termination of its contract with national team coach Amir Abdou.
Noting his prior accomplishments, the FFRIM thanked Abdou for his contributions to Mauritanian football throughout his time with the senior and local national teams.
The Mourabitounes, the national team of Mauritania, finished third with seven points in Group C of the qualifications, behind Botswana (8 points) and Egypt (14 points), who won the group.
Since their first appearance in the tournament’s finals in 2019, this was the first time Mauritania has not advanced to the AFCON.
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).”
The FFRIM also announced that Spanish coach Aritz López Garai had been hired to manage the local national squad in preparation for the forthcoming CHAN qualifiers.
