OWN CORRESPONDENT, Ouagadougou | Wednesday 12.15pm.
BURKINA Faso fired their Belgian coach Rene Taelman on Tuesday after the national soccer team’s poor showing in this month’s African Nations Cup.
Burkina Faso Football Federation spokesman Abdoulkarim Traore told state television that Taelman failed to fulfil his contractual obligation with the “unacceptable result” of the team, who were knocked out in the preliminary round of the tournament.
Burkina Faso reached the semifinals when they hosted the previous Nations Cup finals in 1998.
“We went from fourth place in 1998 to a much lower position and this result contradicts the clauses in the contract which demanded a more honourable result in the 2000 Nations Cup,” Traore said.
Burkina Faso, who played against Egypt, Zambia and Senegal in group C, managed only one point in the tournament from a 1-1 draw with Zambia.
Taelman was hired in October last year to replace Frenchman Didier Northeaux who was fired after the 1998 championship.