Hervé Renard was on the verge of temporarily coaching Côte d’Ivoire during CAN 2023. If this did not happen, he remains in the memories of the Elephants.
After three more than complicated matches during the group stage of the African Cup of Nations which is currently taking place on its soil, Ivory Coast let go of its coach, Jean-Louis Gasset, to replace him with Emerse Faé. But before the latter was chosen, the Ivorian Football Federation turned to Hervé Renard who was ultimately not released by the FFF for this temporary rescue mission. The Frenchman maintains a very high rating since he had worn the Elephants at the top in 2015.
That year, the man in the white shirt won the CAN with Yaya Touré’s band. A moment forever engraved in Ivorian memories, and in particular that of Gervinho. The thirty-six-year-old veteran who has still not retired, remembered these moments spent alongside Hervé Renard, during an interview published Sunday in The Team. Asked to name the coach who had the most impact on him, he did not hesitate for long.
An unforgettable victory
“ Everyone was special for me, but we won (the CAN) with Hervé Renard. And we had a special relationship with him. I was one of the leaders with Yaya Touré, Salomon Kalou, Kolo Touré…. And he made us responsible. We felt the confidence and that put us in the best position. » Thanks to the work of their coach, the Ivorians had won a second African Cup of Nations after the first won in 1992.
The party that followed remains memorable for Gervinho. “ After the 2015 victory, we didn’t sleep because we had been waiting for that since 1992. You can’t rest for two or three days… » The jubilation in the streets of Abidjan also remained in his memory: “ When we saw these people in the streets, the children, the mothers, we were so proud. » It is up to the Ivorians present on the pitch on Sunday evening against Nigeria to do what is necessary to win the final and experience such moments again.
