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Bruno Metsu
 Bruno
Metsu (born 28 January 1954 in Dunkerque), also known as Abdul Karim, is a
French football manager and the head coach of the national team of Qatar.
He is perhaps most notable in Europe for coaching Senegal to a surprise
victory over France in the opening match of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Metsu's playing career was largely based in his native France, along with
a spell in Belgium with Anderlecht. After retiring as a player, he took up
the assistant manager post at his last club, Beauvais Oise, and by 1988
had become full-time manager of the club. He spent over a decade coaching
in France before his first foray into international management.
African Odyssey
Metsu took over African national side Guinea in 2000 before joining
Senegal later that year. He helped the Francophone side to a spot in the
2002 FIFA World Cup, their first ever appearance in the tournament, where
they were expected to prop up a group containing France, Denmark and
Uruguay. Senegal pulled off a shock in the opening match of the
tournament, however, beating former colonial masters and defending World
Cup and European champions France 1-0. Metsu's side qualified from the
group stage and beat Sweden in the round of 16, earning recognition as the
first African side to reach the quarterfinals since Cameroon in 1990.
Senegal were finally beaten in the quarterfinals by Turkey in extra time
on İlhan Mansız's golden goal. After they had defeated France in the
opening game, Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade had declared a national
holiday. Metsu's connection to the country went even further as he had
converted to Islam after marrying a Muslim woman, taking the name Abdul
Karim.His psychological approach to the game had led him to encourage
Senegal's players to focus on France's weaknesses rather than their
strengths, using videos to his advantage and adjusting his coaching
methods to the unique challenges of an African side.
UAE and Qatar: There and Back Again
Metsu's success with Senegal led him to the lucrative Middle East, where
in the United Arab Emirates he took over defending champions Al Ain, owned
by the Emir of Abu Dhabi.[3] He led the side to victory in the first
edition of the re-branded AFC Champions League in 2003, completing a
double including the country's league championship. This led to a host of
offers for the Frenchman, who joined Qatari side Al-Gharafa to the dismay
of his former employers. Metsu was eventually forced to pay a fine for
breach of contract.
Metsu led his new side to the Qatari championship in his first season,
going unbeaten in the process. However, with players in the league
contracted to the country's Olympic committee rather than their clubs, the
side was dismantled with former AC Milan and Chelsea defender Marcel
Desailly joining Qatar SC. Metsu maintains that the Crown Prince of Qatar
orchestrated the moves due to his unhappiness at his club, Al-Sadd, being
dethroned from the top of the Q-League. Metsu nevertheless led his side to
victory in the 2005/2006 Sheikh Jassem Cup, but conditions had
deteriorated to the point that he departed.
Next up for Metsu was a brief stint in Saudi Arabia, where two-time
defending champions Al-Ittihad were struggling in fifth place and in need
of a late surge up the table. Metsu was handed a one-month contract by
club president Mansour Al-Bilali and took the club to third in the table,
eventually losing in a play-off semifinal to Al-Hilal.
Metsu returned to the United Arab Emirates as national team boss in 2006,
coaching his side to victory in the 2007 Gulf Cup of Nations in front of a
packed stadium in Abu Dhabi on 30 January 2007. It was the country's first
Gulf Cup win, with Metsu achieving what former national team bosses
Tomislav Ivic, Roy Hodgson, Carlos Queiroz and Dick Advocaat had all
failed to do.
The UAE crashed out of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, finishing third in a group
containing Japan, regional rivals Qatar and co-hosts Vietnam. Despite his
contract lasting until 2010, Metsu resigned from the head coach position
on 22 September 2008 after suffering defeat in two straight World Cup
qualifiers at home.[4] Metsu's overall record with the side was 13 wins
(11 official), 9 draws (3 official) and 20 losses (8 official) in 42
matches (22 official), scoring 47 goals and conceding 59.
On 25 September 2008, Metsu returned to Qatar, accepting a job as manager
of the national side with the hopes of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup
in South Africa.
Honours
Club Al-Ain
AFC Champions League: 2002-03
UAE Football League: 2002-03, 2003-2004
Al-Gharafa
Qatar Stars League: 2004-05
Sheikh Jassem Cup: 2005-06
International
Senegal
African Cup of Nations:
Runner-up: 2002
United Arab Emirates
Gulf Cup of Nations: 2007
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