After the dismissal of Jean-Louis Gasset, Ivory Coast aims to continue in the right direction in AFCON 2023. To achieve this, the FIF is seeking a loan of Hervé Renard, who currently manages the French Women’s team for the round of 16, we learn in recent hours.
This comes as a surprising development. While Hervé Renard’s name is mentioned in Algeria’s papers to succeed Djamel Belmadi, who resigned after the Fennecs’ early elimination in AFCON 2023, Ivory Coast has entered the fray. After announcing the interim appointment of former Ivorian international Emerse Fae to lead the Elephants, who are gearing up for the round of 16 against Senegal, Idriss Diallo, the president of the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF), is attempting a monumental move.
The big move in negotiation
Indeed, according to information from the L’Équipe newspaper, the Ivorian football federation is negotiating a loan for Hervé Renard to coach the national team against Senegal and potentially for the rest of AFCON 2023 if the team qualifies for the later stages. “The Ivorian Federation has contacted its French counterpart to secure the ‘loan’ of the French Women’s team coach Hervé Renard for the end of AFCON… The goal is not to take him away from the French women’s team, with whom he is under contract until August 2024, but to have him for a short period,” announces the French daily.
For now, the French Football Federation has not yet given its approval. Without the endorsement of the governing body of football in France, Hervé Renard, who is currently in Ivory Coast following AFCON 2023, will not be able to join the Elephants’ camp. In any case, with the incredible twists since the start of this 34th edition of AFCON, such an agreement would be a huge feat for the Ivorians if it comes to fruition. It must be said that the challenge awaiting Seko Fofana and his teammates next Monday looks formidable.
Is Hervé Renard the right man for the job?
After the humiliation against Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast no longer appears as a strong contender in their own competition. And with Senegal dominating everything since the beginning of the tournament and whom they will face in the round of 16, a heavyweight reinforcement like Hervé Renard would be a significant boost to morale. Since the announcement of Emerse Fae’s interim appointment, a former midfielder (44 caps for 1 goal between 2005 and 2012) with Ivory Coast, confidence has not returned among the Ivorians given the coach’s less than impressive track record.
For your information, Ivory Coast will have a tough challenge against the African champions Senegal next Monday at 8:00 PM GMT in Yamoussoukro. After two defeats and one victory (at the beginning of the competition), the Elephants are eager to restore their reputation. Facing the Lions of Teranga, they must bring out their best game since Aliou Cissé’s team has not distinguished between small and big teams for quite some time. Capable of fielding two very strong teams with its 27 players, the Senegalese coach has several aces up his sleeve; hence, the FIF aims to make a big impact with Renard.
What do you think of Ivory Coast’s initiative?
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