The rest of Europe didn’t take notice when Albanian club KF Tirana hauled themselves out of relegation trouble before miraculously clinching the title in 2020. For a continent where Champions League glamor and the wealthiest domestic competitions hog the limelight, Albanian football isn’t even an afterthought.

But on this occasion, Tirana’s climb up the Kategoria Superiore table captured the attention of millions outside Europe. Africa was watching.

“I didn’t follow the directive of the owner of the team, or the president or the directors, because they have been doing it the wrong way – and that is why the team didn’t win the league for 11 years,” former Nigerian international Ndubuisi Egbo told theScore about how he became the first African coach to guide a European team to a league title.

“It’s like Frank Sinatra: I did it my way.”

Albania’s most successful club was a mess. In addition to the boardroom issues that contributed to Tirana’s prolonged title drought, Egbo found the squad’s “harmony was destroyed because the players were arguing and fighting with each other.” He tried to ignore club politics and address some of its problems in simple ways, like putting players in their correct positions. Most crucially of all, in his debut at the helm, he masterminded Tirana’s first win over archrival Partizani Tirana in almost six years.

It sparked a 17-match unbeaten run across all competitions. Tirana, once sitting eighth in a 10-team league, went on to win their 25th Albanian title, finishing the campaign with a four-point cushion atop the league.

It wasn’t all good news, though: Egbo’s incredible Tirana turnaround came amid a backdrop of racism from opposing supporters. He had a banana thrown at him. He was spat at. He felt people around the country wanted him to fail because he’s Black.

“It’s what motivates me,” Egbo said about racism he experienced firsthand.

Egbo’s played and coached in Albania. The former goalkeeper, who experienced two Africa Cup of Nations campaigns with Nigeria, became an Albanian citizen in 2014 and speaks the language fluently.

“Even though I’m Albanian by citizenship, still they will always see you as a foreigner,” Egbo said.

Egbo refused to be cowed by the racists, and won. He’s a trailblazer: the first African coach to win a domestic title in Europe, and the first from the continent to qualify for any European competition. Many African and Black coaches called him after his achievements in Albania. He showed them what was possible.

‘A lack of trust’

Egbo’s feat came in 2020, over 130 years after African footballers began making an impression in Europe. A group of African-born stars, headlined by proud Mozambique native Eusebio, famously helped Benfica win the European Cup twice in the early 1960s. Why did it take African coaches so long to follow in the players’ footsteps?

Another rather brutal caveat is that Egbo won a title in what is effectively Europe’s football wilderness. But it’s no surprise the breakthrough needed to happen in a country like Albania, well beyond the continent’s top competitions. Patrick Vieira, the Senegal-born World Cup winner with France, held the greatest coaching job in Europe’s top five leagues of anybody hailing from an independent African nation. Vieira oversaw Crystal Palace for 20 months until he was sacked in March – and the English club certainly isn’t a giant despite its longstanding Premier League status.

Oluwashina Okeleji, a Nigerian journalist for BBC Sport, understands and feels the frustrations of African managers not getting top jobs in Europe, but he thinks someone from the continent will land one soon.

“Gradually, African coaches are punching,” he told theScore.

Okeleji picks out Walid Regragui and Aliou Cisse as coaches he believes are nearing big European breaks. Regragui won two league titles in Morocco, the Moroccan Throne Cup, Qatar’s first division, and the African Champions League. He then moved into international management, where he made Morocco the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal at Qatar 2022. Cisse’s guided Senegal to Africa Cup of Nations glory and earned qualification to back-to-back World Cups; his side reached the knockout rounds in Qatar despite the absence of star player Sadio Mane.

Serial trophy winner Pitso Mosimane is another head coach whose achievements should place him among managerial candidates of clubs in Europe’s top five leagues, but there’s little to indicate that’s the case. The South African tactician continues to discuss the lack of African managers in Europe since he’s taken over clubs in the Middle East.

“I don’t know what our future will be. Europe is Europe, man – it’s not how good you are. I’ve got all these European Pro Licence coaches here in Saudi and we’re beating them every day,” Mosimane said in a Radio 2000 interview in May. “Why can’t we get a chance?”

Mosimane ended a turbulent period for Mamelodi Sundowns before igniting the most prolific spell in club history with five South African titles, four domestic cups, and its first and only African Champions League triumph. He then tested himself with a move to Egypt’s Al Ahly in 2020, where he won a league and cup double, and hoisted the Champions League trophy twice in three years. More recently, he guided Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli to promotion in his single season in charge before he took over at Al Wahda in the United Arab Emirates in June.

It’s an impressive resume – and just one example of many managers who’ve flourished in African club football (and in Mosimane’s case, even further afield). But Europe’s focus appears to be elsewhere.

“There’s a lack of trust in African managers. There’s a lack of belief in their ability,” Okeleji said.

“Africans are only good at playing football, they’re not good at managing – (it’s) a stereotype that has been going on for so long,” he added.

In an era where clubs rely heavily on data to find marginal gains on the pitch, fine-tune training methods, and uncover players from around the globe, it’s hard to conceive a reasonable excuse for Europe’s failure to find a gifted coach from the world’s second most-populous continent.

It’s not specifically Africans who are overlooked, either. In England, there’s a talent drain of Black footballers once they finish playing. The Black Footballers Partnership reported in January that Black players made up 43% of Premier League squads and 34% of squads in tiers 2-4 in 2022, and added in March that only 4.4% of manager-related roles in English football were held by Black employees.

Egbo believes the lack of diversity among coaches presents a missed opportunity for English clubs to improve communication with their players.

“If you look at the English Premiership, you find that the number of Black African players who are playing there is very high,” Egbo, now managing Kosovan side Prishtina, said. “And in many teams you still find they’re being coached by European coaches who don’t know anything about African culture; who don’t understand where the player is coming from, who don’t understand what he’s going through, who don’t understand anything about his family upbringing.”

The challenges

A popular suggestion to make European football more representative of society is to introduce something similar to the NFL’s Rooney Rule. The policy was adopted in 2003 and made it mandatory for NFL teams to interview minority candidates for positions. The Rooney Rule has undergone several revisions, but today includes requirements like interviewing at least two external minority candidates for head coaching vacancies, and that a minority and/or female candidate be included in the interview process for senior positions like club president or executive roles.

But Seyi Olofinjana, who made 239 appearances across the top two divisions of English football, doesn’t feel comfortable with a similar policy for soccer.

“I want to get the job because I’m good enough, rather than some system saying some quota of Black or other ethnic minority should give me a job,” he told theScore.

Olofinjana considered leaving football and “going a different route altogether” once he retired from playing. He studied throughout his career, even obtaining a chemical engineering degree before he made his life-changing transfer to Europe, but always felt the pull of the sport. He returned to Wolverhampton Wanderers in a non-playing capacity, and eventually landed his “dream” job of sporting director with Grasshopper Club Zurich. The position fit neatly with his other studies: he also has masters degrees in project management and sporting directorship, and carries UEFA’s top coaching qualifications.

The ex-midfielder, a member of Nigeria’s squad for three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, offers a unique perspective through his year with the Swiss giants. He has empathy for fellow Africans trying and struggling to get into the European game, but also understands some of the barriers preventing this rare leap. He recognizes the huge pool of coaches available in each European country and across its borders, and he’s wary of the “very, very short” amount of time coaches are given to adapt in a results-based business.

And when discussing Africans’ oft-unsuccessful efforts to move north, it’s no surprise that someone with Olofinjana’s education is mindful of the coaching qualifications required to manage in Europe.

“People always think it’s racism or what have you – some element of it is that. But I see it both ways,” Olofinjana explained. “It’s a lack of trust on the part of the owners, probably a lack of acceptance of who we are as Africans. But on the other side, for some it’s a lack of education on the part of some African coaches.”

There are obvious hints that African coaching certifications – and those issued by non-UEFA confederations – aren’t deemed as valuable as their European equivalents.

A head coach in the African Champions League must hold an “A” license – the top coaching qualification available from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) – or the equivalent top-level coaching certification issued by FIFA’s five other confederations. For the European Champions League, only UEFA coaching badges are accepted.

CAF ensuring its coaching courses and qualifications are of equal value to UEFA, and for this to then be reflected in the coaching regulations for Europe’s leading competitions, could open doors for African coaches.

But that point is moot if they aren’t even considered for roles in the first place. Michael Osei served as an assistant coach for the Under-23 teams of Germany’s Kickers Offenbach and FSV Frankfurt after spending a significant portion of his playing career in the country. Across the two different jobs, Osei helped the teams win three lower-league titles between 2008-2010. However, when a promotion to one of the clubs’ senior teams – which were both competing in Germany’s second tier – wasn’t forthcoming, the former Ghanaian international decided to return home.

“I didn’t get the opportunity. It wasn’t easy for a Black coach to get the opportunity to coach (in the) Bundesliga,” Osei recalled. “That’s why I switched to come back to Ghana to continue on my coaching career.”

Now in charge of Bibiani Gold Stars in the Ghana Premier League, Osei observes another major obstacle for African coaches wanting to obtain UEFA badges: cost. To attain the four UEFA coaching qualifications up to and including the coveted Pro Licence with the English Football Association, it would cost around $18,300 (£14,995).

The average monthly wage for head coaches in the Ghana Premier League is less than $1,000, another boss working in the competition told theScore. So even if a head coach is taking home $1,000 each month, the UEFA coaching qualifications cost the equivalent of over 18 months’ salary. That considerable cost is augmented by travel, accommodation, and other daily expenses. Studying also takes coaches away from their main source of income.

The backroom positions that Otto Addo and Gerald Asamoah, also Ghanaian natives, hold at Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke are among the reasons Osei has hope that things will change. However, he estimates it will be another 10-15 years before an African head coach is hired by a prestigious European club.

“We have to believe it,” Osei said.

The Champions League rumbled on this week. Below, we dissect the biggest talking points from Matchday 4 in Europe’s premier club competition.

Ten Hag not to blame for latest collapse

Manchester United were humming. It seemed like Erik ten Hag had finally gotten through to his players. The passing was slick, the movement tidy, and chances were coming by the truckload. Rasmus Hojlund buried two of the three shots he had in the opening 40 minutes. Copenhagen had no answer for United’s swift attacking play.

But nothing is straightforward. Not for these Red Devils. Once a little adversity hit them, the whole apparatus short-circuited. Marcus Rashford’s admittedly unfortunate red card toward the end of the first half led to a collapse of epic proportions. Down to 10 men, United seemingly forgot how to defend. Copenhagen’s Mohamed Elyounoussi caught four defenders napping inside the area, and Harry Maguire reprised his role as scapegoat with another poorly conceded penalty in first-half stoppage time. Not even a gift of a penalty in the second half could give United the reprieve they needed: Copenhagen struck twice in the final 10 minutes to secure an incredible comeback victory that exposed the lack of personal responsibility and character in United’s increasingly fractured group.

Diogo Dalot has been a soft spot in United’s defense for a long time, and his inability to mark his man allowed Copenhagen an equally soft equalizer with just a handful of ticks remaining on the clock. Then, Raphael Varane, who’s looked a shell of the player who backstopped Madrid to multiple Champions League titles, gave away possession with an absurd blooper of a pass that Maguire could do nothing to corral. Copenhagen scored 23 seconds later.

Ten Hag had set United up the right way. They looked like inevitable winners after a half hour. It was the best football they’d played under the Dutchman. But there’s only so much coaching he can do to prevent such a sizable mental collapse. He couldn’t have possibly legislated for one of the most senior players in the squad making such a casual error. Maybe he could’ve expected Dalot to blow his assignment, just not Varane.

At a certain point, the players have to take their share of the blame and accept they’re just as much, if not more, of a problem. So many of them look to blame the other person when a bit of self-reflection would go a long way. Ten Hag’s nonnegotiable disciplinary approach has certainly created a lot of negativity in United’s camp – and he must accept responsibility for that – but his players have routinely failed to meet the challenge. He can’t physically go on the field and push them into proper scoring or defending positions. They have to do that themselves. Either they can’t or they won’t. Which is worse? – Anthony Lopopolo

AC Milan save their season at critical juncture

Milan had just lost to one of the worst teams in Europe’s top five leagues. They had heard the music from fans who had up until this point saved their vitriol in the hopes their continued support would keep the team from slipping into the abyss. But enough was enough. The whistling after Saturday’s insipid 1-0 loss to Udinese was soul-crushing. The club’s DJ even dropped “Pioli’s on Fire,” Milan’s championship anthem, from his usual pregame mix.

But Milan’s reaction Tuesday against Paris Saint-Germain was the stuff of legend. The players took to the pitch with something to prove, and it told.

There wasn’t a single protagonist in Milan’s 2-1 win over PSG. It was truly a collective effort. It showed the team is still unified, even as talk of dressing room unrest intensifies. There was leadership, personality, and accountability from each of the 11 players on the field.

No one ditched their assignment. Davide Calabria shackled Kylian Mbappe. Fikayo Tomori reacted quickest to every ball. Rafael Leao scored off an overhead kick and put in serious work off the ball. He may have never defended so hard in his life. Ruben Loftus-Cheek won midfield battles and stormed up the pitch with ferociousness and an insatiable appetite. Olivier Giroud ran into channels and tormented PSG’s defenders. You could go on and on. Everyone bought in. No one dragged their feet. No one waited for someone else to do their job for them.

That includes head coach Stefano Pioli. Outcoached in several big matches this season, Pioli finally set his players up to succeed. He allowed Loftus-Cheek to play higher up the field, using him as an outlet on the counterattack, which Milan favored over the predictable possession-based football that had sucked the life out of their fans. Playing on the counter allowed Milan’s quicker, more physical players to take charge.

It was a calculated gamble. A loss Tuesday would’ve left them with a snowball’s chance in hell of qualifying for the Champions League knockout round. Now, they’re a point back of the top two in the group of death with two games remaining, and the win has galvanized a squad that was drifting aimlessly. – Lopopolo

Quick free-kicks

Put some respect on Calabria’s name

Milan’s captain gets a lot of flak. Fans routinely mock him on social media and belittle his attempts to inspire the team. But he’s a Milan lifer. He’s been with the club since he was 10. And he’s shown he can ball with the best of them. What more does he have to do to get the respect he deserves? What more does Luciano Spalletti have to see to call him up to the Italian national team? Calabria just muzzled two of the most dangerous dribblers in the game in Mbappe and Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and while he may lack consistency, Calabria always gives his all and calls out his teammates when they don’t. There’s no hiding from it now: Calabria is captain material and good enough to start in the world’s biggest competitions. – Lopopolo

Young Boys captain embarrasses himself

The look of disbelief on Erling Haaland’s face said it all after starstruck Young Boys captain Mohamed Ali Camara asked for his shirt at halftime. The bemused Manchester City star shook his head and said, “You cannot do this,” before submitting to Camara’s oddly timed request. Young Boys were 2-0 down. Haaland went on to make a mockery of the Swiss side after halftime, tucking away his second goal in a crisp new kit to seal a win that was never in doubt. Young Boys head coach Raphael Wicky clearly wasn’t impressed. “I wasn’t aware of that. I am a bit surprised about that. I will have a word with him and see what he thought,” Wicky said, according to BBC Sport’s Simon Stone. The only positive to come from all of this is that Camara’s embarrassing appeal helped mask what was a brutal performance by a Young Boys side that showed – on and off the pitch – it’s out of its depth in the Champions League. – Gordon Brunt

Griezmann back to elite level

Two years after his career bottomed out at Barcelona, Antoine Griezmann is clearly back to being an elite player. The Frenchman, who turned down a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia in the summer, was hailed as a club legend by Atletico head coach Diego Simeone after a strong shift in Tuesday’s 6-0 Champions League romp over Celtic. “He was born to play for Atleti,” Simeone said, according to Fabrizio Romano. Griezmann capped off his two-goal display with an acrobatic highlight-reel strike and has now scored in three consecutive Champions League games. With him and Alvaro Morata, who also had two goals against Celtic, firing on all cylinders, Atletico Madrid unexpectedly have one of the best attacking partnerships in Europe. Not bad for a club typically associated with stout defending. – Brunt

Straight from the training ground

Things ultimately went sideways for Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, but their opening goal in Milan was an example of work on the training pitch translating perfectly to an in-game situation. Marquinhos met an outswinging corner kick from Vitinha and took a handful of defenders out of the play with a flick-on right into the path of Milan Skriniar, who had the simple task of knocking it over the line from close range. Fans, commentators, and pundits alike often complain when a set piece doesn’t beat the first man, asking how professional footballers can put forth such terrible deliveries. In certain cases, it’s a fair critique. But oftentimes, they’re asking the wrong question. The initial cross, be it from a corner or free-kick, usually looks to connect with a near-post runner, like Marquinhos in this case, who can then change the ball’s trajectory. Against a set defense that has nine – or even all 10 – players in the penalty area, that’s one of the few ways to actually create scoring opportunities. – Gianluca Nesci

What happened to Benfica?

Benfica came into the 2023-24 season on the back of consecutive quarterfinal appearances in the Champions League. They won a group that included PSG and Juventus last year, going unbeaten in the opening round of the competition. How quickly things change. The Portuguese side was eliminated from contention for the knockout stage Wednesday after a comprehensive 3-1 defeat to Real Sociedad. Benfica, rolling along in domestic play, is pointless after four matches in Europe this season. Rafa Silva’s consolation goal – when La Real were already 3-0 up and cruising – was their first of the group stage, making them the last team to break their duck. They lost Goncalo Ramos and Alex Grimaldo in the summer, but, for the most part, the team that dazzled last season is still intact, and new young stars like Joao Neves are emerging. What’s gone wrong? Angel Di Maria, who returned as a free agent, was largely anonymous Wednesday. Summer signing Orkun Kokcu is injured. Arthur Cabral, recruited for €20 million to replace Ramos, has been a total bust so far. A continental campaign to forget for Roger Schmidt. – Nesci

Hojlund shows what he can do with service

We all know Hojlund hasn’t scored in eight Premier League matches. Those goals will come if United tee him up the way they did in the first half against Copenhagen. Hojlund’s movement has always been a strong suit, and he routinely finds ways to get into scoring positions. It’s just up to his teammates to seek him out. That happened Wednesday, and he looked every bit like the £64-million striker everyone expected. His first goal was a tap-in born of his shifty movement in the penalty area, and his second came off the counter, a not-so-surprising development considering his pace off the ball. Hojlund showed exactly what he can do in a fleet-footed system, and it should encourage both Ten Hag and supporters that this investment will come good. – Lopopolo

Stat of the week

Pepe might just keep playing forever.

Tweet of the week

Manchester United fans are trained to expect the worst right now.

Andre Onana and Harry Maguire were the unlikely heroes as Manchester United kickstarted their Champions League campaign by beating FC Copenhagen 1-0 on the night Bobby Charlton was remembered at Old Trafford.

Much-maligned centre-back Maguire headed in the only goal 18 minutes from time before Onana saved Jordan Larsson’s penalty with the last kick of the game.

The English giants had lost their opening two Champions League group games for the first time in the club’s history, but are back in contention for the last 16 thanks to a much-needed win.

One of United’s greatest ever players, Charlton died on Saturday at the age of 86.

A moving tribute was paid to the 1966 World Cup winner before kick-off as United boss Erik ten Hag laid a wreath in the centre-circle before a minute’s silence was observed.

“It was meant to be,” Maguire told TNT Sports. “We were meant to win the game. A magnificent save and a win dedicated to Sir Bobby and his family.”

Ten Hag urged his players to be inspired by Charlton’s legacy after a difficult start to the season.

But the Dutchman was disheartened by another insipid first-half performance.

The Danish champions were inches away from going in front after just five minutes when Diogo Goncalves hit the post.

The emotional atmosphere around Old Trafford prior to kick-off quickly turned to groans of frustration as the home side laboured to create anything of note before the break.

Onana proves his worth

Onana was also required to prove his worth early in the second-half before United awoke from their slumber.

The Cameroonian made high-profile errors in both United’s Champions League defeats to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.

But the man who helped Inter Milan reach the final of last season’s competition showed why United splashed out £47 million ($57 million) on him in July.

Onana’a first crucial save of the game prevented Lukas Lerager’s shot finding the top corner.

Rasmus Hojlund failed to shine against his former club, but did tee up Christian Eriksen for a powerful low drive that former Liverpool goalkeeper Kamil Grabara did brilliantly to turn behind.

Marcus Rashford’s lack of confidence in front of goal was also on show as a heavy touch when clean through wasted a huge chance before substitute Alejandro Garnacho did exactly the same with just Grabara to beat.

Instead Maguire bailed out his forwards to at least ensure Charlton’s farewell was marked with a victory.

The England international had fallen way down the pecking order during Ten Hag’s first season in charge, but is making the most of a series of defensive injuries that have brought him back into the fold.

Maguire just stayed onside to meet Eriksen’s cross with a bullet header 18 minutes from time.

“When you are not on your game it gets picked up, but I am really proud and pleased how I have acted over this six to 12 months,” added Maguire.

“I have been given an opportunity and I want to help the team and get the club back to where it should be.”

United should have added a second as Garnacho and Scott McTominay passed up big chances to double the lead.

And they were nearly made to pay when McTominay was penalised for a high foot on Mohamed Elyounoussi deep into stoppage time.

Larsson, son of former United striker Henrik Larsson, stepped forward but his powerful effort was turned behind by Onana to spark wild scenes of celebration.

“I’m just doing my job,” said Onana.

“We are Manchester United. We are a big club, big players … now we have to continue like this. I have no doubt we will make it (through).”

Victory takes United above Copenhagen into third in Group A and within one point of Galatasaray.

Bayern are already closing in on qualification after a 3-1 win over Galatasaray made it three wins from three games for the German giants.