The Curse of Henri Michel

You can’t blame Cote d’Ivoire coach Henri Michel if he is a bit nervous entering the upcoming African Nations Cup. Sure his team has qualified and sure it has one of the most dangerous forwards in the world, but this is the African Nations Cup. And this is Michel’s curse.

Four years ago Michel helped Tunisia to qualify for the World Cup only to be fired after his team had a disappointing result at the African Nations Cup in Mali.

Flash back to 2000 when Michel was in charge of Morocco only to be sacked after his team failed to get out of the first round of the Nations Cup in Nigeria.

Will things be better this time around for Michel? They should be. He brings a team with a roster of players who all play for foreign club teams. He has a forward in Didier Drogba who has been nearly unstoppable at the international level. His team has a relatively easy draw.

I think Michel will be the coach in Germany this summer. If he isn’t, maybe he should think about taking a vacation during the next African Nations Cup.