Christian Gourcuff has decided to resign from his post as the coach of the Algeria national soccer team, making way for another tactician to take over at the Fennec Foxes.

The news was made official through an announcement on the Algerian Football Federation’s website, with the body admitting that the coach’s contract was terminated through his request, though it was amicably settled in the last few days.

His resignation comes in the wake of pressure from the local media, and a souring of the relationship between the French coach and the Algerian press, who are very influential in the country.

Assistant coach Nabil Neghiz has been confirmed in charge of the national team in the interim, before a permanent tactician is selected.

Having helped Algeria to progress from the 2018 World Cup qualifiers to the final 20 teams in Africa thanks to a stunning 9-2 aggregate win over Tanzania in their tie, Gourcuff’s final contribution in charge of the North Africans saw him preside over two 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers with Ethiopia, in which Algeria won 7-1 at home and drew 3-3 away.

Three wins and a draw in qualifying thus far mean that Algeria are top of their qualifying group for next year’s AFCON, requiring a single win from their last two games to guarantee qualification.

Gourcuff replaced popular former coach Vahid Halilhodzic in August 2014, and brought the Algerians to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations at the beginning of 2015, after which he was awarded an extension to his contract.

The Algerians will be looking to find their next coach as soon as possible, and the list of interested parties is likely to be long and impressive, as the Fennec Foxes are one of the best teams on the African continent, with a track record of producing quality players and a selection of world class stars in the current team.