Change at the helm for the Cyprus national team

The Cyprus Football Association and the manager of the Cypriot national team, Ran Ben Shimon, have mutually agreed to part ways. The new manager of Cyprus is a Belgian, Johan Walem.

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Ben Shimon, 49, is from Israel and served in the post since July 2017. His final record was five wins, 14 losses, and four draws. Perhaps his biggest result was his debut in August 2017 when he led Cyprus to a 3-2 comeback win at home to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Despite his pedestrian record, Ben Shimon kept Cyprus competitive in matches in which they were overmatched on paper, and he gave many young players opportunities to showcase themselves, such as Ioannis Kosti, Ioannis Pittas, Nikolas Ioannou, Michalis Ioannou, Jack Roles, and Anthony Georgiou. 

CFA President Giorgos Koumas said in a joint press conference to Ben Shimon, “We thank you for your offering. You’ve left your mark on the future of our national team.” Ben Shimon, for his part, said “My tenure with the Cypriot national team was a very important part of my career. I thank the President and everyone I got to work with. I worked with players with great personalities and skills. I wish them all the best for the future. I leave with a clean heart, and I think I leave behind a better national team than the one I received.”

So now it’s Johan Walem, a 47-year-old Belgian who comes off of four years leading the Belgium U21 national team. Walem played as a midfielder for clubs in Belgium and Italy, winning three Belgian championships as a member of Anderlecht in the 90s. In all, his playing career lasted from 1991-2005. He also earned 36 caps for the Belgian national team, scoring twice. 

As a manager, in addition to his recent stint with the Belgian U21 national team and a previous stint in the same role from 2012-2015, he also managed Kortrijk in the 2015-2016 season, and prior to 2012, worked in the youth development systems of Anderlecht and Udinese. His success in working with the youth could make for a good fit for this young Cyprus team.

However, this hire is a departure from the CFA’s usual modus operandi. Cyprus became an independent country in 1960, and the national team was founded soon after. Walem becomes just the second manager in the 60-year history of the Cypriot national team that is neither Greek, Cypriot or has previous coaching experience in Cyprus. With the exception of Englishman Ray Wood, who served in the role from 1969-1972, every manager of the Cypriot national team has either been Greek, Cypriot, or was a foreigner who had managed a Cypriot club before. 

There are many challenges that come with this job. There is often lackluster fan support due to multiple factors such as a general apathy towards the national team among Cypriots among other things. There’s always a European schedule that leaves no shortage of tough fixtures on the docket. Of course, perhaps above all, is the fact that most Cypriot players struggle to find playing time at their clubs due to an influx of foreign players in the Cypriot league. Walem’s lack of familiarity with how things work in Cypriot and Hellenic culture could also hamper him. 

It seems as though Walem will make his debut in a home friendly against Luxembourg at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia in March.

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