Michel Dussuyer, pictured on January 23, 2015, has been named as the new coach of Africa Cup of Nations champions the Ivory Coast to replace his compatriot Herve Renard. PHOTO/AFP
ABIDJAN, July 21- Frenchman Michel Dussuyer has been named as the new coach of Africa Cup of Nations champions the Ivory Coast to replace his compatriot Herve Renard, the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) announced on Monday.
Dussuyer has signed a two-year deal with the option to extend the contract after beating off competition from another Frenchman, Frederic Antonetti, and the Pole Henryk Kasperczak, who was last week named as the new Tunisia coach.
The 56-year-old Dussuyer, who had an unremarkable playing career as a goalkeeper, is familiar with African football.
He stepped down as coach of Guinea after leading the Syli National to the quarter-finals of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.
That was his second spell in charge of Guinea. In between he worked as an assistant to Henri Michel with the Ivory Coast and had a spell as coach of Benin.
Frenchman Renard coached the Elephants to victory at this year’s Cup of Nations but quit in May to take charge of Ligue 1 club Lille.
