Sports
Ivory Coast hires Marc Wilmots as new coach
Following the resignation of Michel Dussuyer as the head coach of their senior national team after their exit from the Africa Cup of Nations in January, Ivory Coast has named former Belgium international Marc Wilmots as new head coach.
The 48-year-old Wilmots led Belgium for four years, reaching the quarterfinals at both the 2014 World Cup and last year’s European Championship.
He was sacked in July 2016 after Belgium lost 3-1 to Wales in the quarter-finals of the European Championships.
Frenchman Dussuyer quit the Elephants after they exited the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. The defending champions crashed out quite early from the finals in Gabon, where they finished third in Group C having failed to win a single game, and so, could not advance to the second round of the competition.
Read also: Ivory Coast coach Michel Dussuyer resigns
Wilmots, who has signed a two-year contract with an option to renew, has been set the task of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the Africa Cup of Nations a year later.
Ivory Coast are top of their World Cup qualifying group with four points from two matches, ahead of Gabon, Morocco and Mali, with only the group winners going to Russia.
When the 2019 Nations Cup qualifiers kick off in June, the Elephants will battle it out with Guinea, Central African Republic and Rwanda for a place at the finals in Cameroon.
However, Ivory Coast will be playing a friendly with Russia on Friday in Krasnador and then Senegal three days later in Franceas, and Ibrahim Kamara will be in temporary control of the team.
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