AFCON 2024: Coach Hervé Renard Responds to African Teams
French coach Hervé Renard, who leads his country’s women’s national team, responded on Friday to news of his technical supervision of the Algerian Fennecs, Ivory Coast team, or another team.
The name of Hervé Renard was strongly mentioned as a successor to Djamel Belmadi as coach of the Algerian national team. The Ivorian press also spoke of secret efforts by the local football federation to bring the French coach to lead the “Elephants” starting from the round of 16 of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, on a temporary mission after the removal of Ivory Coast coach Jean Louis Gasset after a disappointing first round marked by a scathing defeat against Equatorial Guinea (0-4), the Ivorian Federation hopes to attempt the final blow to revive its team from of the round of 16: bring back Hervé Renard for the rest of the competition.
The Ivorian Federation even contacted its French counterpart. Time is running out if Idriss Diallo, the president of the FIF, wants to complete his project because Ivory Coast will face Senegal, the reigning champion, on Monday evening (9 p.m.) in the round of 16.
Hervé Renard said that he is focusing on his work for the French women’s national team, and aspires to achieve a positive result in the Paris Olympic games scheduled for next July and August.
In statements to the French “L’Equipe” on Friday, he added that he would work with his country’s women’s team until the end of his contract in August 2024. Then he’ll make an appropriate decision regarding his new destination.
In the land of Elephants, which has invested hundreds of millions of euros in the organization of AFCON 2024, the 2015 African champion will be expected as the saviour. The objective is to create an electric shock after the disastrous departure of the selection, while it is Emerse Faé who must sit on the bench after the departure of Gasset. Renard, for his part, remained unreachable, said l’Equipe.
Winner of the CAN with Zambia (2012) then with Ivory Coast (2015), former coach of Morocco (2016-2019), Hervé Renard knows perfectly all the teams still in the competition, their strengths and weaknesses. The AFCON could experience an incredible scenario if the FFF accepted this exceptional freelance.