Hervé Renard: future coach of the Bleues, will he recall Wendie Renard and Eugénie Le Sommer?

French coach Hervé Renard, an icon of football abroad, will succeed Corinne Deacon at the head of the French women’s team.

Hervé Renard will indeed be appointed coach of the French women’s team. After the friendly matches of Saudi Arabia, the Federation officially announced the resignation of the French technician. Internally, there is little doubt, a close source in Saudi Arabia indicated that he was going to take charge of a French national team. If the formalization is still pending and should take place by Friday, it is the former coach of Zambia and Côte d’Ivoire who will take charge of the Blue after the departure of Corinne Deacon.

From now on, a question arises, what future for certain players? Wendie Renard, former captain of the France team is already ready to return if the coach wishes, she who caused the wave of withdrawals and the dismissal of Corinne Deacon. “It is the coach who will select me if I perform well with my club. […] but why not ? I am a competitor at heart. I like this jersey and I want to do everything to win a title with it.” Eugénie Le Sommer, striker for Olympique Lyonnais, also remains hopeful of a real comeback with Les Bleues, she who has not been called up since the spring 2021. “I want to be selected for my performances. Maybe there will be a new momentum. I have always said that my objective was to continue playing for the France team. I hope I can do it” she explained to The Team. As a reminder, the Women’s World Cup is fast approaching since it will take place in August on the side of Australia and New Zealand.

find out more

Born September 30, 1968 in Aix-les-Bains (Savoie) Hervé Renard quickly understood that football would be linked to his life. He tried to nurture a successful professional career. However, he came up against the level of play being too high. Cannes player between 1983 and 1990, the defender then distinguished himself with the Stade de Vallauris before ending his career at SC Draguignan. It is in this same club that the Savoyard began this “job which he does with heart”, he admitted on Bein Sports in November 2022. During this interview, Hervé Renard also returned to his private life, referring to his mother. “My mum in a nutshell is the reflection of my person in the locker room, a Polish rigor. A worker who sometimes had 2-3 jobs in a week to get more resources. She gave me values, she gave me respect, “he confided moved. The fiftieth anniversary also paid tribute to Claude Le Roy who took his wing in 2001 and with whom he forged extremely strong ties. “He certainly replaces the dad I haven’t had for a long time. I love them like parents Claude and Eva”.

A modest football player, Hervé Renard achieved success in the world of football as a coach. In 1999, he took charge of a National 3 club with Draguignan. In two seasons, he took the club from DH to CFA level. During his National season, the Savoyard had the privilege of meeting in 2001 during a meal, a certain Claude Le Roy. The latter was and still is an emblem of football in Africa like his young counterpart a few years later. In charge of Shanghai International, Claude Le Roy was looking for an assistant. “I had stopped the season with Draguignan. I missed football. I then saw Claude in Avignon. He ended up taking me with him”, detailed Hervé Renard in an interview carried out by Bein Sports in November 2022.

Under his tutelage, Hervé Renard was able to acquire the necessary experience to become an internationally renowned coach. “The white wizard” wrote his story with several African selections such as Zambia, Ivory Coast or Morocco, a team he led between 2016 and 2019. In club, his success was less despite a season in 2013-2014 thrilling which was played until the last day in Ligue 1 against Evian. A fight lost by Hervé Renard.

He allowed Moroccans to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia by beating Côte d’Ivoire in 2017. At the end of this meeting, the coach received a call from King Mohammed VI himself who wished to congratulate him live. His adventure was less glorious, however, with an unexplained failure in the round of 16 of the CAN against Benin in 2019. After this premature defeat, the coach of the Atlas Lions resigned from his post.

Saudi Arabia poached him in 2019. The “Falcons” coach managed to qualify for the World Cup 2022 in Qatar. The Saudis found themselves in the pool of Poland with Robert Lewandowski, Mexico and especially Lionel Messi’s Argentina who was crowned world champion. Saudi Arabia, led 1-0 at half-time against Albiceleste on November 22, was overthrown by the “Greens”. Hervé Renard had held a most legendary speech and had transcended his players. With this victory, Saudi Arabia had ended the Argentines’ 36-game unbeaten run. She was also the only nation to beat Argentina in Qatar and above all, the kingdom declared a national day the next day symbol of a historic victory.

Already coach of Zambia between 2008 and 2010, Hervé Renard decided to leave the selection of his own free will after joining the quarter-final stage at CAN 2010. For nearly two years, he undertook other experiences less successful with Angola first then with USM Alger. In 2011, he finally decided to return to the head of Zambia which had in the meantime qualified for CAN 2012. He led the “Chipolopoulos” to the final victory by winning in extremis on penalties. -aim. The country was thus able to win its first CAN in history, like Hervé Renard.

African epics, Hervé Renard knew some. Famous for allowing Zambia to glean the CAN in 2012, Hervé Renard was then considered the providential man, the man of exploits. If he failed to keep Sochaux in Ligue 1 in 2014, the Frenchman did not flinch with Côte d’Ivoire. The coach of the “Elephants” has managed to win a new Africa Cup of Nations, his second. By lifting the trophy, Hervé Renard became the first coach in history to win two CANs with two different selections.

Hervé Renard has multiplied the experiences as a trainer. He started in France, but the Savoyard “has traveled the world and today I think I could no longer stop traveling because it opens the mind, I meet people from another culture”, he testified. on Bein Sports in November 2022. The native of Aix-les-Bains has become an icon in Africa by taking the lead of several selections. In the Middle East and in France, his energetic and unifying speeches made an impression.

• SC Draguignan : 1999-2001
• Cambridge United : 2004
• Nam Dinh : 2004
• AS Cherbourg : 2005-2007
• Zambia : 2008-2010 and 2011-2013
• Angola : 2010-2011
• USM Algiers : 2011
• Sochaux : 2013-2014
• Ivory Coast : 2014-2015
• Lille : 2015
• Morocco : 2016-2019
• Saudi Arabia : since 2019

Before being in a relationship with Viviane Dièye, Hervé Renard had four children from other relationships. He has three girls and a boy. One of them is called Candide. She appeared in 2017 on the show Telefoot of TF1. But the young girl is known to have participated in the filming of Koh Lanta in Fiji in 2018. She also accused Eddy Guyot of sexual assault causing the immediate cessation of the show.

If they have the same name, the two personalities of French football are not related. One of Hervé Renard’s real daughters even had fun asking him the question on November 20, 2017 on the show. Telefoot on TF1. The latter had obviously retorted that “it is impossible”.

At the head of Saudi Arabia, Hervé Renard had decided to reduce his salary close to 100,000 euros gross monthly according to 20 minutes Sportune in 2020. The goal was to fight against Covid-19 and help the kingdom’s medical field.

Former French coach Bruno Metsu, who led Senegal to the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup, died in October 2013. The former coach had Viviane Dièye as his wife. She has now become the companion of Hervé Renard.