CAIRO – Twice Africa Cup of Nations-winning coach Herve Renard on Saturday maintained the suspense over his future with Morocco amid persistent rumours of his departure.
Renard, who is under contract until 2022, is the only coach to win the competition with two countries, and hopes to complete a hat-trick at this year’s finals with Morocco.
“I’ve experienced some great things with Morocco and it’s not over,” Renard said on the eve of his team’s tournament opener in Group D against rank outsiders Namibia in Cairo.
“I know that a lot is expected of me, a lot of us. We’re staying focused on the competition and then afterwards ... I have nothing else to say during the tournament. I hope we’ll be together for as long as possible.”
France-born Renard led outsiders Zambia to the title in 2012 and triumphed again three years later with previously underachieving Ivory Coast.
This will be his second attempt to bring the trophy back to Morocco after a quarter-final exit from the 2017 tournament in Gabon.
Ghanaian Charles Gyamfi and Egyptian Hassan Shehata are the only coaches to have won three Cup of Nations titles, all with the same countries.