Ivory Coast’s attempt to appoint Herve Renard as their coach for the remaining matches of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has been denied by the French Football Federation (FFF). Renard, the current coach of the France women’s team, could not be released from his contract by the FFF.
Herve Renard, who led Ivory Coast to the 2015 African title, is under contract with the French women’s team until the end of the Paris Olympics. The Ivorian Football Federation had hoped to secure Renard for the AFCON, where Ivory Coast faces Senegal in the last-16 tie on Monday.
Despite his popularity in Ivory Coast and his successful coaching career in African football, including winning the AFCON with Zambia in 2012, Renard will not be available for the current tournament. The Elephants recently sacked coach Jean-Louis Gasset, and Emerse Fae has been named as the interim coach.