Definitive: Hervé Renard who bought out his contract with Saudi Arabia is now national football coach France | sport

Renard, 54, leads French footballers to the World Cup which will take place in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20. The 2024 Olympics in Paris will follow a year later. Renard was appointed to Saudi Arabia in July 2019. The Frenchman led the country to a memorable 2-1 victory over Argentina four months ago, later World Cup winners in Qatar.

The Saudi Arabian Football Association said in a statement on Twitter that it had complied with Renard’s request to terminate his contract. SAFF wishes Renard “full success in his future career”. He still had a contract with the Saudi union until 2027, but could have bought out this contract for several million euros.

“Renard received an offer to become the national coach of France and he indicated that he wanted to take this opportunity,” said SAFF president Yasser Al-Misehal. Saudi sports channel. “I have received a letter from the French Football Federation and after consultation with several members of the board of directors, we have decided to accede to this request.”

France, fifth in the women’s world rankings, are hoping to clinch the world title for the first time at this year’s World Cup. The world championship runs from July 20 to August 20 and is hosted by New Zealand and Australia.

Renard announced his departure on Tuesday after the 2-1 loss to Bolivia. “I want to thank everyone in Saudi Arabia for their support for almost four years. I think I got the most out of it with the team, so I prefer to be honest with everyone. Thank you again, this was a fantastic time.”

Renard will succeed Corinne Deacon at the French. She recently left with the necessary fuss. Captain Wendie Renard (Olympique Lyon) has said she no longer wants to play for the national team and, according to French media, it had to do with Deacon. The same was true for PSG forwards Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto, among others, with whom the association had to choose between the national coach and important players.