Coach Patrice Beaumelle, former assistant to Hervé Renard in Zambia, Ivory Coast and Morocco, has been appointed new Ivorian coach, announced the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) at a press conference in Abidjan Wednesday February 4. Patrice Beaumelle will aim to qualify the Elephants for the African Cup of Nations (CAN) 2021 in Cameroon, said Sory Diabaté, the first vice-president of the FIF.
Lieutenant of Hervé Renard for years (Zambia, Angola, USM Algiers, Ivory Coast, Lille, Morocco), Patrice Beaumelle remained in Morocco after the departure of Hervé Renard. He won two African Cups with his mentor: CAN 2012 with Zambia against … Côte d'Ivoire in the final, and CAN 2015 with Côte d'Ivoire.
"When we look at the current context, we have to take someone who knows the house. (…) It's about rebuilding a team by integrating young players. Patrice Beaumelle with Hervé Renard has shown us that he has this ability. (…) He knows the executives – those who won the CAN with him – he knows how to get the message out »said Diabaté, who also stressed the urgency.
"The choice of prudence and continuity"
Ivory Coast (3e from group K with three points) welcomes Madagascar (1er of the group with six points) on March 27 before going there on the 31st during the 3e and 4e CAN 2021 qualifying days in Cameroon.
"If we chose a coach who does not know Africa, our realities, our group, we thought he would find it difficult to adapt. It was not the renowned coaches who missed us, who approached us. We made the choice of prudence and continuity (…) so as not to miss these two games ”, he said.
"In 2015, when (Hervé) Renard decided to leave, we asked him to continue the adventure. In 2015, we already had to continue the work undertaken with Hervé Renard, but it could not be done. We have kept very good contacts with Patrice Beaumelle ”, he added.
Patrice Beaumelle is the twelfth French coach in the Ivory Coast, after notably Paul Gevaudan, Henri Michel, Sabri Lamouchi or Philippe Troussier. The French technician succeeds Ivorian Ibrahim Kamara sacked in February due to poor results. The names of the French Alain Giresse and Albert Cartier, the Portuguese Paulo Duarte and even the Italian Massimiliano Allegri were quoted by the Ivorian press.
