It follows a meeting between the vice-president of the Algerian Football Federation, Mohammed Laib and 13 of Algeria's France-based internationals.

Laib said the Paris meeting was aimed at charting a new course for the national team.

A poor performance at the Nations Cup in Mali led to the dismissal of Madjer and the naming of Abdelhamid Zouba as caretaker coach.

The players, led by Marseille midfielder Djamel Belmadi, asked Laib to get a permanent replacement as soon as possible.

They also called for better insurance provisions and improved training equipment.

"The appointment of a substantive national coach is very important and we are talking to some people with the right profile," the vice-president said.

"I believe we will reach an agreement with the right person soon," he added.

Algeria made a good start to their 2004 Nations Cup qualifying campaign with a 1-0 victory over Namibia in Windhoek.

Their next match is against Chad on 11 October.