March 20, (THEWILL) – Herve Renard is set to become the new France Women’s head coach, replacing Corinne Diacre, who was sacked earlier this month.
Renard, who currently manages the Saudi Arabia men’s national team, has never before coached a women’s team. Despite this, France’s players are reportedly pleased with the appointment and are looking forward to working with the 54-year-old.
The selection of candidates for the role of head coach was led by Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas, who is also in charge of women’s football at the France Football Federation, along with Strasbourg president Marc Keller, FFF treasurer Aline Riera, and FFF secretary general Laura Georges.
The decision to relieve Diacre of her coaching duties came after the withdrawal of team captain Wendie Renard and teammates Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto, which exposed the rift in the underbelly of the team.
Renard has extensive experience coaching international teams, having taken charge of 12 sides, including six national teams, during his 24-year managerial career. He is a two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner with Zambia in 2012 and the Ivory Coast in 2015. He joined the Saudi Arabia national team in 2019 and helped the team secure qualification for the 2022 World Cup, as well as a famous 2-1 victory over Argentina.
The formal announcement of Renard’s appointment is expected to come after an agreement has been reached to end his tenure with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
