African soccer powerhouse Cameroon has named a new national team coach. It turns out that the Frenchman Hervé Renard, who has been speculated by foreign media to be the coach of the South Korean national team, is not.
Renard’s future will continue to be in the spotlight.
The Cameroon Football Association announced on March 3 that it has appointed Belgian Marc Brice as the new national team coach after Rigobert Song’s contract expired. Brice will take the helm. Brice is a 27-year veteran of the game who has been active in Belgium, the Netherlands, and the Middle East.
He previously managed Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven, where Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo played in the 2008-2009 season, and most recently managed Belgian side OH Leuven from 2020 until last year.
Local media in Cameroon reported that Song left the team on Feb. 29 following the expiration of his contract after failing to renew his contract. Cameroon has been a powerhouse in Africa for the past decade, with a strong record of achievements including a World Cup Round of 16 appearance in Italy 1990 and a gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, and with many of their players playing in Europe, many coaches were interested.
It is not uncommon for coaches to train and play in Europe instead of traveling to Cameroon due to practicalities such as training ground facilities and squad mobilization.
One of them was Brice.
The Cameroonian soccer legend, known as the ‘Reggae Head Coach’, took charge of Cameroon in March 2022 and led the team to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in a short amount of time. He led the team to a 1-0 victory over Brazil in the third round of the group stage, but was unable to get them past the round of 16.
A poor showing at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, including a round of 16 exit, led to his departure.
With Brees heading to Cameroon, fans in Korea are also wondering where Renard will end up.
“Renard is attracting interest from Poland, South Korea, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Morocco,” French newspaper L’Equipe reported on March 30, adding, “Renard, who led Saudi Arabia at the World Cup in Qatar, is expected to step down as head coach of the French women’s national team after the tournament.”
Born in 1968, Renard has coached at various clubs since his retirement. While he has coached clubs like LOSC Lille, he has also coached several national teams, including Zambia, Angola, Ivory Coast, and Morocco.