Herve Renard turns focus to Cote d’Ivoire after defending Saudi Arabia and Tunisia spells

Herve Renard has rejected talk of “failure” as he begins his second spell in charge of Cote d’Ivoire, saying his previous experiences with Saudi Arabia and Tunisia have strengthened him rather than damaged his reputation.

The Frenchman addressed questions about those two appointments during his first news conference as the new head coach of the Elephants. He was asked whether he feared that another unsuccessful campaign could undermine the standing he has built during his managerial career.

Renard refused to frame either of his recent assignments in those terms, choosing instead to focus on the positive aspects of both experiences. He said his attention was now firmly fixed on Cote d’Ivoire and the challenge of leading the national team again.

His time with Saudi Arabia was marked, he argued, by significant instability within the Green Falcons’ set-up. The national side had become accustomed to changing coaches on the eve of World Cups, creating a difficult cycle that eventually affected Renard as well.

Despite that disruption, he had achieved the main target set by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF): qualifying the Green and White for the 2026 World Cup.

The qualification objective represented an important success, even though the uncertainty surrounding the team’s leadership ultimately proved decisive in the end of his Saudi Arabia adventure. Renard’s comments suggested he believed the circumstances of the departure needed to be considered alongside the outcome on the pitch.

His spell with Tunisia presented a different kind of challenge. Renard acknowledged the extreme difficulty of the task he had agreed to undertake, given the gloomy atmosphere that had taken hold around the Carthage Eagles.

That mood followed an unexpected 5-1 defeat by Sweden, a result which left Tunisia facing a particularly challenging situation before Renard’s arrival. He accepted that the pressure surrounding the team had made the assignment unusually demanding.

Rather than dwelling on the criticism directed at his recent appointments, Renard said he considered himself to have grown through both experiences. He now intends to leave those chapters behind and concentrate exclusively on Cote d’Ivoire.

The appointment gives Renard the opportunity to return to a national team he has managed before, while also placing him back in charge of one of Africa’s leading football nations. His immediate priority, however, is not to revisit the past but to begin work with the Elephants and build on what he has learned in Saudi Arabia and Tunisia.

Renard’s response was therefore aimed at sceptics who questioned whether his latest roles had weakened his reputation. He made clear that he does not view them as failures and believes the lessons gained from both appointments will help him in his second Cote d’Ivoire spell.