Halilhodzic still unhappy over departure

(GSM) – Former Ivory Coast boss Vahid Halilhodzic is still depressed about his dismissal as Elephants coach just months before the World Cup.

Halilhodzic, who was expected to lead the Elephants in South Africa, was dismissed after his team lost to Algeria in the African Cup of Nations quarterfinals. This loss was Halilhodzic’s first in 24 matches.

“Our goal was to win the CAN and politicians started to put the pressure on us,” Halilhodzic said Monday.

He explained the situation of the game against Algeria, “That was the president’s message. We absolutely had to win. I don’t really know why (they fired me), but they had to sacrifice somebody. And they were not going to sacrifice the players or officials from the team. It was the coach.”

Last January in Angola, Ivory Coast wasted a 2-1 lead in injury time before losing to Algeria 3-2 after extra time.

“Until then, I was the best coach in the history of Ivory Coast,” Halilhodzic said.

Former Ivorian Coach continued, “Eight minutes changed everything. But I knew perfectly well that it could happen when I accepted the mission.”

The Bosnian coach also told L’Equipe TV channel that the deadly attack on Togo’s national team that left two people dead before the African Cup distracted his players from their quest to win the tournament.