AFCON 2023: Ivory Coast To Loan Renard Until End Of Tournament

The Ivorian Football Federation is set to loan Les Bleues manager Hervé Renard until the end of the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in the country.

According to L’Équipe,contact has already been established between the relevant parties and the FFF, as well as Renard himself, must now give their approval for the loan.

Ivory Coast advanced to the knockout stages of this year’s AFCON by the skin of their teeth, advancing as one of the best third-place finishers. However, in the wake of the disappointment, Jean-Louis Gasset was sacked mid-tournament after a humbling 4-0 loss against Guinea.

The former Saudi Arabia manager is currently managing the France women’s national team. However, the Ivory Coast aren’t looking for Renard to break his contract with Les Bleues, which runs until August 2024.

Renard is no stranger to Ivorian and African football, having previously coached the Zambian, Moroccan, and Ivorian national teams and becoming the first coach to win two Africa Cup of Nations with different countries, Zambia (2012) and Ivory Coast (2015), respectively.

Hosts Ivory Coast face Senegal on 29th January.