SportsCatch
EN

At 78, Claude Le Roy becomes Congo manager for 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers

Five years after his last managerial role, French coach Claude Le Roy takes over the Congo national team. He returns to a squad he previously managed between 2013 and 2015, tasked with securing qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

1 min read
At 78, Claude Le Roy becomes Congo manager for 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers
Share

Claude Le Roy, 78, has been appointed manager of the Republic of Congo, according to an official statement from the Ministry of Sports, Youth and Civic Education. The French coach, who has not held a managerial position since leaving Togo in 2021, will be assisted by Omar Daf, former coach of Sochaux and Amiens.

Le Roy returns to the Diables rouges more than a decade after departing. His first spell (2013-2015) culminated in a quarter-final appearance at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, with an overall record of 13 wins, 3 draws and 5 defeats. This marks his ninth experience leading an African national team.

His career on the continent is marked by significant spells: Cameroon (1985-1988, then 1998), with whom he won the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations, Senegal (1988-1992), the Democratic Republic of Congo (2004-2006 then 2011-2013) and Ghana (2006-2008).

His immediate mission will be to secure Congo’s qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, to be hosted in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The Diables rouges have been drawn in Group G of the qualifiers alongside Cameroon, Comoros and Namibia — a competitive group that will immediately test the new coaching staff.

Share