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Eymael has opined why AFC Leopards and other African teams need to borrow leafs from Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, who have all kept faith in their managers over a long period of time.
Former AFC Leopards coach Luc Eymael has highlighted a pervasive issue across African football.
Eymael, who has amassed a lot of experience coaching teams across a host of countries in Africa, brought AFC Leopards from the brink of relegation and led them to a second-place finish in 2013.
He also secured them a spot in the 2014 CAF Confederation Cup by winning the FKF Cup final in 2013 and believes that the problem extends far beyond the "Den."
The Belgian has pointed out the lack of stability and continuity within clubs as a major reason behind their tendency not to do well in continental competitions.
"How many teams in Africa truly embrace continuity in their projects?" Eymael posed this rhetorical question during an interview with SportsBoom.
"In South Africa, you have Mamelodi Sundowns and to some extent Orlando Pirates. In Egypt, there's Al Ahly. Morocco has RS Berkane and FAR Rabat, while Tanzania's Young Africans (Yanga) show some consistency. But beyond these, the lack of stability is a widespread issue."
Eymael pointed out that successful European clubs like Arsenal have thrived by showing patience and faith in their coaching staff.
He cited Mikel Arteta’s tenure at Arsenal, where despite a rocky start with five consecutive Premier League losses, the club's management continued to support him. This patience paid off as Arsenal eventually qualified for the Europa League and narrowly missed out on the Premier League title.
"Which African team would tolerate a coach losing five games in a row at the start of a season?" Eymael asked.
"Arteta’s success at Arsenal was possible because the club stood by him. In contrast, African teams often don't give coaches enough time to implement their vision and instill a winning philosophy."
Eymael also referenced Jurgen Klopp's early struggles at Liverpool and Pep Guardiola's initial challenges at Manchester City. Both managers faced difficult starts but were given time to develop their teams, leading to significant long-term success.
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“The clubs trusted their process. This is a stark contrast to African teams, where quick results are often demanded, and projects are not given sufficient time to mature."
Eymael believes that for African clubs to achieve sustained success, they must adopt a long-term approach. This involves not only trusting their coaches but also maintaining a stable technical bench and retaining key players who are crucial to the project's success.
"Only a few teams in Africa keep faith with their projects, playing styles, and technical staff. These teams are the ones that consistently succeed," Eymael noted.
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