Although his name is not a bit familiar in Egypt, Michel Decastel's résumé indicates that he could be the right man to rescue Zamalek from their long-lasting crisis. The Cairo side were searching for a new head coach for several weeks, following the sacking of Reiner Hollmann, and eventually they snapped up the Swiss tactician. While many of his predecessors' attempts to make progress were doomed to failure, Decastel is believed to be able to treat Zamalek's chronic wounds once and for all. North African Football What really stands out in Decastel's biography is that he's well-informed with the North African game, having worked with several African and Middle Eastern clubs throughout his remarkable coaching career. He also has a good grasp of Islamic tradition, which should somewhat help him settle down in any Arab country. But more importantly, Decastel managed to put his finger on the common weaknesses and strengths of African and Arab footballers. Decastel, whose nickname is 'Mini', was quoted by French newspaper 'Le Temps' as saying that in general, Arab footballers are innately skillful. However, he pointed out that poor fitness is deemed one of their most devastating shortcomings, as they do not take regular training seriously. He also believes that African footballers are by far incapable of handling on-pitch pressure professionally, a stance that so many tacticians would agree on. Furthermore, Mini referred to the African players' mentality by saying "When someone dribbles past an African or Arab player, the latter would take it as an insult. They need to mature a little bit more." Average player Much as he forged a successful career as a coach, Decastel failed to impress as a player, like many other prominent coaches. He started playing professional football in 1974 at Swiss club Neuchatel, where he spent five years before moving to France's Strasbourg. Decastel stayed at the French side for about two years, and then joined Servette FC in homeland. He stayed put till he rejoined Neuchatel in 1988, and then hung up his boots. On the international stage, he featured for Switzerland only once in a 1986 World Cup qualifier against Ireland, who won the game 3-0. Coaching career Decastel pursued a coaching career after his retirement. He took up different coaching-related jobs till he became an all-rounded tactician. He had his first experience as a head coach at Switzerland's Yverdon Sport in 1995, and then he was hired by SR Delemont. However, he made a great deal of progress when he moved abroad. He was appointed as ASEC Mimosas boss upon the request of his previous coach and ASEC Academy founder John Mark.
Decastel spent so many years in Africa Decastel's adventure with the Ivorian outfit was his first comprehensive coaching experience and a turning point in his career; especially that he was the first Swiss coach to have been in charge of a foreign team. After leading ASEC to back-to-back league titles, the promising tactician opted to make a move to North Africa by signing for Tunisian giants Esperance in 2002. Even though it was a whole new challenge, Decastel pulled it off once again and helped Esperance finish the season as local champions. Later on, he moved to Morocco's Wydad Casablanca, where he repeated the same feat in his first season there. Under Mini's management, Wydad reached the Moroccan Cup final in 2004 and competed fiercely for the local league title. But their elimination from the African Champions League after losing to Esperance in the quarter-finals cost Decastel his job. The former Strasbourg player didn't take much time to figure out why he was relieved of his duty. Decastel vouched from experience that in African countries, losing a pivotal game could mark an immediate demise for any coach, which he described as 'madness'. Back to Tunisia After his unpleasant stint in Morocco, Decastel went back to Tunisia in 2005 when he was appointed by Sfaxien, who were falling apart at the time. The Swiss man's objective was to end the popular outfit's ten-year trophyless run, and help them pull themselves together. Upon his arrival, he led Sfaxien to the Tunisian Cup title after beating his previous club Esperance in the final. Sfaxien also claimed the Arab Champions League (ACL) title after condemning Egypt's Ismaili to defeat in the final. Afterwards, Decastel departed the Tunisian team for one year, and got back by the beginning of 07-08 season. He had a good start to the season, but he left once again in Mach 2008 after being handed a six-month suspension by the Tunisian football association, following unfortunate events during an encounter against Esperance in the Tunisian League. The match was noticeably ill-tempered, so Sfaxien decided to quit, and their boss was punished as a result. The withdrawal decision was made by club chairman Salah Al-Din Al-Zahaf, nonetheless, Decastel was the one who stepped down. After that, Mini was hired by 2007 African champions Etoile Sahel, who made it to the CAF Confederation Cup final in the same year. But Etoile parted ways with Decastel last October after they were held to two successive draws with Olympique Beja and US Monastir in the Tunisian League. Now he's set to start a new mission with Zamalek, but will he make tangible difference to the beleaguered White Knights?
