Herve Renard, a two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner, has been named the new France women’s head coach until 2024 by the French Football Federation on Thursday, two days after he resigned from his role as Saudi Arabia men’s coach.
The 54-year-old Frenchman, who has never managed a women’s team, will replace Corinne Diacre, whose controversial stint came to an end early this month. Diacre was fired four months before the Women’s World Cup after several key players said they would no longer represent their country under her leadership.
She claimed there was a “violent and dishonest” smear campaign against her.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup will take place in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20, where France are in Group F alongside Brazil, Jamaica and Panama.
HERVE RENARD’S RESIGNATION
The Frenchman was in charge of the Saudi Arabia’s men’s team until Tuesday, March 28, when they lost 2-1 against Bolivia in a friendly. After the game, Renard told reporters: “I would like to thank everybody in Saudi for their support during almost four years.
“I think I did the maximum with the team. I can’t reach another level so I prefer to be honest with everybody. Thank you again, it was a fantastic time.”
Renard became the head coach of Saudi Arabia in July 2019 and led them to their second successive World Cup finals, where they achieved one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history against eventual champions Argentina with a 2-1 win in Doha, Qatar last year. King Salman declared a public holiday in Saudi Arabia to mark the momentous victory.
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) confirmed Renard’s resignation on Tuesday. SAFF president Yasser Al-Misehal had told Saudi Sports Channel that Renard got an offer from the French Federation “and expressed his desire to take this opportunity”.
“We were informed four days before the current international window and I received a letter from the French Federation, and consulted with the board of directors and we decided to accept this request,” Al-Misehal added.
DIACRE’S DEPARTURE
The 48-year-old Diacre’s departure on March 9 came on the heels of announcements by key players including captain Wendie Renard that they are taking a step back from the national team.
Renard, Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto criticised the French “system” in their statements, with Renard, who has made 142 appearances for France, adding that she was boycotting the national team “to preserve my mental health”. This was after the Tournoi de France women’s friendly football tournament in February.
Around three weeks later, the FFF announced Diacre’s exit explaining that situation was “irreversible”.
The FFF said it had commissioned a four-person committee to examine the running of the national women’s team following criticism from Renard and her teammates and the committee had “established the observation of a very significant divide between players” which had “reached a point of no return” and “harms the interests of the team”.
The statement read: “It appears that the dysfunctions observed seem, in this context, irreversible. In view of these elements, it was decided to put an end to the role of Corinne Diacre at the head of the French women’s team.”
The commission were also tasked with selecting Diacre’s successor ahead of the World Cup.
Renard and her teammates were also criticised in the FFF statement for airing their dissatisfaction on social media. “The committee also noted that the way used by the players to express their criticisms was no longer acceptable in the future,” according to the statement.
WORLD CUP HOPES
Ranked 5th in the world, France have never reached a major final, their best result yet of a semi-final place was achieved under Diacre at the Euro 2022, where they lost to Germany.
In their last four World Cup appearances, the farthest they have reached are the quarter-finals, on two occasions, one of which was at their home World Cup in 2019.
The French Football Federation will hope the players who stepped back from the national team under Diacre will make a return. Renard will be looking to guide France to their first major title this summer. He made history in Africa as the first person to lead different countries to the AFCON title after winning the Africa Cup of Nations as head coach with both Zambia and Ivory Coast.
Credit: AIPS Media
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