Hervé Renard, recently appointed as the head coach of Saudi Arabia’s national team, has explained why he didn’t take charge of the Senegal Lions, despite advanced talks.
Since Aliou Cissé’s sudden departure on October 2, the position of Senegal’s head coach had been vacant, and Renard seemed like a top contender. After leaving the French women’s national team, Renard, who has long lived in Senegal and is married to Viviane Dièye, widow of former coach Bruno Metsu, was well-acquainted with the country.
Although Renard officially applied for the role, he ultimately withdrew his candidacy in favor of heading to Saudi Arabia. The main reason? His inability to bring Omar Daf, former assistant to Aliou Cissé and currently coach of Ligue 2 side Amiens, into his technical staff. Renard told Le Monde Afrique: “There were discussions. I had a wish, to have Omar Daf as my assistant. But Omar is the head coach of Amiens, and this condition could not be met immediately. So, I decided to withdraw my application.”
As of now, Senegal has yet to appoint a permanent coach, with Pape Thiaw, Aliou Cissé’s former assistant, currently serving as interim manager. “Coaching Senegal, one of the best African teams, would have been a great challenge, but not all the conditions were met,” Renard added, expressing his regret that this promising project was derailed by circumstances.
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