Hervé Renard After Ivory Coast’s Qualification: “Only the Title Is Beautiful”
Hervé Renard is all smiles — and a bit of humor — after guiding Ivory Coast to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final. Speaking to Canal+Sport, the French coach didn’t hold back in his honest appraisal of the semi-final win over DR Congo (3–1):
🗣️ “It’s a good moment. If Serge Aurier hadn’t acted like a clown at the end, I would have been more relaxed (laughs). We had a very bad first half, we forgot to respect our fundamentals. There are things we don’t know how to do and we have to stay within our limits. In the second, we were better.”
Renard, who famously led Zambia to the 2012 title, is on the brink of becoming the first coach in history to win the CAN with two different countries. Still, he downplayed his personal impact:
🗣️ “The coach is not a magician. You have to work with a whole team, a staff.”
🏆 “Only the Title Is Beautiful”
While Ivory Coast has now reached its third final in nine years (after 2006 and 2012), the last time the Elephants lifted the trophy was 1992. Renard knows what’s at stake:
🗣️ “They’ve already lost two finals. It has to be the right one. Only the title is beautiful.”
With Yaya Touré, Gervinho, Bony, and a tighter defensive unit, Renard may just break the finals curse that has haunted Ivorian football for decades.
Next stop: the final — and perhaps, redemption.
