The Ethiopia Football Federation decided to fire coach Yohannes Sahle at the end of April, with a view to restructuring the technical department entirely. Sahle lost his job at the helm of the Ethiopian national team one year after replacing Portuguese tactician Mariano Barreto. The federation is working to find a replacement for the Ethiopia-born US citizen.
Frenchman Claude Le Roy was confirmed as the new coach of the Togo national soccer team at the beginning of April, replacing Tom Saintfiet. Le Roy was given a contract that sees him take charge of the Togolese side until 2019. The veteran tactician is joined by assistant Sebastien Minier, who has supported him on many previous occasions. Le Roy has coached at a record eight African Cup of Nations finals, including winning the tournament with Cameroon in 1988.
Christian Gourcuff decided to resign from his post as the coach of the Algeria national soccer team at the beginning of April, according to the Algerian Football Federation, which admitted that the coach’s contract was terminated through his own request. His resignation came after much speculation despite great success, with a rift developing between the French coach and the Algerian press. Assistant coach Nabil Neghiz took over from Gourcuff while the federation sought a new tactician.
Nigeria national team coach Sunday Oliseh decided to resign from his role at the helm of the Super Eagles at the end of February. The former captain of the national team was in charge since taking over in July 2015, but his tenure was fraught with struggles between the football authorities and some players. For this reason he decided to discontinue his association with the team, surprising many with the sudden departure from the Super Eagles fold. Samson Siasia was installed as interim coach following Oliseh’s resignation.
Stanley Okumbi was confirmed as the new Kenya national team coach in February, replacing Scottish tactician Bobby Williamson. The Scot was owed payments of around $30,000 when he was replaced. The decision was made by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) chairman Nick Mwendwa.
Frenchman Herve Renard was officially confirmed as the Morocco national team coach in February. The tactician’s appointment to the post followed the resignation of Baddou Zaki in the same month. The Frenchman has been highly successful in terms of coaching national teams in Africa, having won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title with Zambia in 2012 and Cote D’Ivoire in 2015.
Belgian Hugo Broos was confirmed as the new Cameroon national soccer team coach in February. The tactician replaced German Volker Finke, whose contract was not extended in October last year. Broos previously coached in his native Belgium, as well as Greece, Qatar, Turkey and Algeria, but before taking on this position, he was not experienced in national team football.
Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte was put in charge of the Burkina Faso national team at the end of December, returning to the post he previous occupied a few years ago. Duarte’s return was made possible with the resignation of previous coach Gernot Rohr. Duarte’s two-year contract began in January, which is why he is on this list. This will be his second stint with the team, after taking charge of the Stallions for Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaigns in 2010 and 2012.
