Six days to go: Angola boss Gonçalves hails CAF for championing homegrown talent with CHAN

CAF

7 days ago

As the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024 edges closer, Angola's head coach Pedro Gonçalves is leading his team with quiet confidence and deep reflection of his six years in charge of the Palancas Negras.
Celebrating six years at the helm of the Palancas Negras, the Portuguese tactician believes Angola is primed to showcase its local talent despite facing challenges of player availability and group-stage pressure.
In this exclusive interview with CAFOnline.com, Gonçalves delves into Angola's CHAN qualification journey, the transformative power of the competition for local players, and his optimism about the future of football in the COSAFA region.
He also acknowledges the difficult task ahead in a group that includes CHAN heavyweights Morocco and DR Congo, as well as co-hosts Kenya and regional rivals Zambia.
With a mix of pragmatism and belief, Gonçalves sees CHAN not just as a tournament but as a platform for growth and recognition for African-based players.
Here is the full Q&A:
Q: Coach, you are preparing for yet another TotalEnergies CAF CHAN tournament. What are your views on the current state of the team?
I have the privilege of celebrating six years as Angola's national team coach. The journey has been long and enjoyable. Our progress since 2019 has been substantial, and this will be the second consecutive CHAN that I am proud to have qualified Angola for.
As a result of our development in recent years, Angola has become a goldmine for world football, and many of our most prominent players are now playing abroad, which means they won't be available for this competition. Nevertheless, I have always emphasized—and continue to stress to the players—the great importance of CHAN, as it serves both as a window of opportunity for local players and as a barometer for the entire internal football structure.
Q: What do you make of the team's performance in the qualifiers?
The fact that in 2024 we were the national team with the biggest rise in the FIFA rankings worldwide allowed us to skip the first qualifying round. On one hand, that was a good thing, but on the other, it meant we had less time to work and develop directly with the locally based players.
We ended up playing the qualifier against Lesotho, which is always a very competitive opponent. I believe we were rightful winners of the tie, which was practically decided in the first leg with our 2-goal away victory. In the second leg at home, we were able to manage the squad and give other players the chance to compete. Despite losing that match due to an entirely unnecessary penalty, we always controlled the tie and were never in danger of missing qualification.
Q: What makes this TotalEnergies CAF CHAN tournament important for Angolan Football?
CHAN is of vital importance in boosting local talent. The vast majority of African national teams play mostly (or even entirely) with players who are based outside their countries. I think CAF brilliantly created a very interesting and attractive competitive space that opens the door for locally based players who aspire to reach higher sporting levels. CHAN provides visibility for local talent.
Q: What have you made of the growth and competitiveness of African football?
In recent seasons, CAF has implemented a series of initiatives that have increasingly raised the quality and visibility of African competitions.
Africa holds the future talent of global football, and as such, interest from the global football world is growing. This is evident in the attention given to African competitions—not only from outside the continent but also from within, as there is growing enthusiasm and appreciation for what is being produced in African football.
Q: Looking at your group, what do you make of your opponents and your chances of going to the KO stages?
We are clearly in the most competitive group. Looking at the five teams in the group, only two have won CHAN twice—Morocco and the DRC—and they are clearly the favorites to qualify. Then there's the host nation, Kenya, which has made a significant investment. Zambia and ourselves will be seen as the 'underdogs,' but I believe we will fight relentlessly for a place in the quarterfinals. We may not be the favorites, but we will certainly have something to say in that fight.
Q: What goals are you looking to set for your team in this competition?
Considering that in the last edition we finished second in a group of three and didn't qualify—due to two draws in two matches—having the chance to play four games this time is already a great opportunity for this group of local players.
We will fight for a place in the quarterfinals, which would be a fantastic goal to achieve given the strength of the teams in our group.
Q: No Southern African nation has lifted the title. What do you make of this statistic and the chances of Southern African nations at the tournament?
The progress of the COSAFA region has been gradual and significant. If we consider that seven of the teams in the upcoming AFCON are from the COSAFA region, that's already a sign of growth. However, we must now aim for the next level, which is winning titles in Africa. South Africa and Zambia have already done so in the AFCON.
Let's see which team from our region will be the first to do it in CHAN. The talent is there, and with time, the allocation of more resources, and improvements in the development process, I believe it will become a reality.