Afcon final unites two African coaches who represent the future | Jonathan Wilson

Djamel Belmadi and Aliou Cissé used time in Europe to improve their sides and a tactical battle will decide fate of Algeria and Senegal

Champigny-sur-Marne is a banlieue about eight miles south-east of the centre of Paris. Algeria’s coach, Djamel Belmadi, was born there; Senegal’s coach, Aliou Cissé, moved there from Ziguinchor at the age of nine (Cissé is one day older). Since then they have performed an awkward dance, always threatening to meet and very rarely doing so.

They played against each other at youth level. They came head-to-head in a league game between Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain in February 2001, and then with their national teams two months later. Belmadi was at Southampton when Cissé was at Portsmouth but they never played against each other in England. And on Friday, on the greatest stage either has yet trod, their sides will meet in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Related: Aliou Cissé’s battling Senegal side stand one win away from greatness

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