Almost three months after the failure to qualify for CAN 2025 and the dismissal of Amir Abdou, Mauritania officially announced the identity of its new coach on Thursday evening.
Thursday, the Mauritanian Football Federation (FFRIM) held its Council, “devoted to examining the general situation of national teams” while selection A’ recently qualified for the CHAN and selection A will resume the qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in March. It is in view of these deadlines that the body considered the timing appropriate to announce the successor of Amir Abdou.
Unsurprisingly, Aritz López Garai was named Mourabitounes coach. The Spanish already occupied the head of the A’ selection since November and he succeeded in qualify for CHAN by eliminating Mali (1-0, 0-0). This performance therefore opens the doors to the A selection, as seemed to be the plan from the start.
The meteoric rise of Aritz López Garai
After a playing career spent mainly in the Spanish second and third divisions, Lopez Garai, 44, converted to coaching. First in the country with visits to the banks of Reus Deportiu, Numancia, Tenerife and Albacete. Then he joined Mauritania in February 2023, taking control of FC Nouadhibou, with whom he won the championship title and completed a history until the group stage of the African Champions League. He was then coach of the U20s, before inheriting the A’ then the A.
-With the postponement of CHAN in August, his energy will be primarily focused on the A’s in the coming weeks. Last in their qualifying group for the World Cup with 7 points behind Senegal and 2nd place, the last potentially qualifying one, the Mauritanians will play big against Togo and DR Congo in March.
Senegal
