Herve Renard confirmed as the new France women’s head coach

• Herve Renard has been appointed as the new France women’s head coach after resigning from Saudi Arabia’s men’s team
• Renard replaces Corinne Diacre, who was sacked earlier this month after several players complained about her leadership

Herve Renard has been appointed as the new France women’s head coach after resigning from Saudi Arabia‘s men’s team.

The 54-year-old has signed a contract that runs until August 2024 and is expected to lead France into this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Herve Renard. Photo/ The Mirror.

Herve Renard, who coached the Saudi Arabia national team, requested the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) terminate his contract on Tuesday. According to SAFF president Yasser Al-Misehal, they received a letter from the French Federation and decided to accept the request.

“[Renard] has 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.” BBC Sports quotes Yasser Al-Misehal. 

Herve Renard confirmed that he was leaving the Saudi Arabia national team on Tuesday following their 2-1 lose to Bolivia.

“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.” Herve Renard said, as per BBC Sports. 

Herve Renard replaces Corinne Diacre, who was sacked earlier this month from her position as France head coach after several players complained about her leadership.

According to BBC Sports, several players had boycotted the France national team and said they would no longer play while Diacre is still in charge. But with the appointment of Herve Renard, the France Football Federation (FFF) will now hope that they players who boycotted the national team will return.

Renard has never managed a women’s team before and is now the boss of a side that is ranked fifth in the world and seeking to win their first World Cup this year. The Frenchman is expected to announce his first squad for France’s upcoming friendlies against Colombia and Canada as they prepare for the World Cup.

Herve Renard, who is a former player, began his coaching career at SC Draguignan in 1999. He was assistant at Chinese side Shanghai Cosco between 2002 and 2003 after leaving SC Draguignan in 2001. He later managed English club Cambridge United where he continued to gain experience in coaching.

Renard coached Zambia for the first in 2008 before returning in 2011. He led the Zambia national team to their first Africa Cup of Nations title in 2012. The Frenchman then had a spell with Sochaux before joining Ivory Coast in July 2014.

Herve Renard is now the head coach of the France women’s national team. Photo/ Flipboard.

He was the manager of Ivory Coast as they won the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, becoming the first manager to win the trophy with two different countries. Herve Renard later worked with Lille and Morocco before joining Saudi Arabia in July 2019.