Le Roy extends Togo stay

by Staff Reporter

Wednesday Jan 29, 2020. 17:00

The Togo Football Federation (TFF) have announced that Claude Le Roy will remain as head coach of the country’s national team.

The 70-year-old Frenchman took over the reins as Sparrowhawks boss from Tom Saintfiet in April 2016 and despite failing to qualify for the most recent Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), hosted in Egypt last year, Le Roy has reportedly penned a new three year deal according to BBC Sport.

Newly re-elected TFF president Guy Akpovi is confident that the veteran coach is the right man to nurture the country’s young talent and to help qualify Togo for the upcoming major tournaments.

“Claude’s contract was renewed with targets of course,” said Akpovi,

“Claude Le Roy must now try to qualify us for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2022 World Cup.

“I believe that we all have to forget the past and re-mobilize ourselves behind our senior team so that we can really achieve the objectives we have set out.

“It’s true that when the results do not go your way, people are unhappy and people say it is the coach’s fault.

“But we should also understand that our team is very young and we have many young players who are waiting and who may be going to join the Hawks’ nest.

“It’s a question of patience. Things will change. I say that things will change,” he concluded.

Togo last qualified for the 2017 Afcon tournament, but failed to advance past the group stages. They’ve only qualified for one FIFA World Cup tournament – the 2006 showpiece hosted in Germany.