Rolland Courbis, Algeria mourns a coach who left his mark at USM Alger | OneFootball

Algeria is mourning Rolland Courbis, whose bond with the country ran deep. According to L'Équipe, news of his death on Monday 12 January prompted a wave of reaction across the Mediterranean.

During 2012-2013 at USM Alger he won the national cup by beating MC Alger 1-0, his first top-flight trophy as a coach. It was a capital derby regarded as one of Africa’s fiercest, and it ended a 9-season drought.

Less than two weeks later he lifted the Arab Club Cup. Thirteen months after arriving, and three months after extending his deal, he left the Hilton in the capital, where he was staying, for Montpellier, replacing Jean Fernandez in December 2013.

He maintained close ties with Algeria, remaining a first-choice French contact for local journalists. Talk of a return to a leading club bench often resurfaced.

His name was frequently linked with the national team, notably in 2014 before Christian Gourcuff was appointed. He had said he hoped to take on that project.

Courbis revelled in the derby theatre, likening USMA to PSG and MCA to Marseille, and praising Mouloudia’s passionate, chauvinistic following while joking that he was the biggest chauvinist. Last summer he returned as guest of honour for the capital derby and addressed USMA’s players before kick-off, a sign he still missed the dugout. The Algerian press has saluted an emblematic coach and a friend of the country.

Source: L'Équipe