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Herve Renard May Soon Be Morocco Coach

Herve Renard May Soon Be Morocco Coach

Reports emanating from Morocco suggest that Herve Renard may soon be announced as the the country’s national team coach.

The news follows the departure of Baddou Zaki as Morocco coach, and Renard’s sacking from French club Lille in November.

Renard is a popular figure in Africa, having won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title with both Zambia and Cote D’Ivoire, with the most recent victory coming at the helm of the Elephants in 2015.

The Frenchman has often been linked to coaching jobs with various national teams on the continent, including Cameroon, Nigeria and South Africa, but the most recent rumours surrounding the Atlas Lions come from local reports in le360Sport.

The 47-year-old coach recently turned down the chance to be in charge of Egyptian club giants Al Ahly, and at the time many believed that this was in favour of a national team opportunity.

In January reports suggested that he may soon be announced as the new Kazakhstan coach, but nothing materialised in that regard.

If Renard is confirmed as the new Morocco coach, his first priority will be to secure qualification for the 2017 AFCON in Gabon, while also looking to qualify the team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The Moroccans currently lead qualifying Group F for the 2017 Nations Cup by goal difference alongside Cape Verde, with an interesting double-match against their islander rivals next month.

In 2018 World Cup qualifying Morocco despatched Equatorial Guinea 2-1 on aggregate, allowing them to progress to the next stage of qualifying which begins later in the year.

The popular tactician was linked to the Morocco national team in 2014, but was later employed by the Cote D’Ivoire national team, which proved a fruitful decision.

Renard struggled to comfortably transition from national team to club coaching in recent years, with difficult times at Sochaux and Lille in Ligue 1, but in Africa he has managed to achieve incredible success.