Coach Herve Renard has stepped down from his position on Friday as head coach of Côte d’Ivoire prior to his confirmation as manager of French Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille.
The Frenchman became the first manager to win the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) with two different sides when he led Ivory Coast to just their second continental triumph in Equatorial Guinea in February.
Renard-led Elephants defeated Ghana Black Stars in a dramatic penalty shootout, two years after he led Zambia to success when the tournament was co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
“My adventure with Ivory Coast was exceptional. And I sincerely think that the best moment to end our collaboration is after such a success,” he told reporters in Abidjan.
“In all likelihood, I’m going to Lille barring a catastrophe.”
Current Lille coach Rene Girard will see out his two-year contract with Lille on Saturday, after their league game against Metz. Lille are eighth in the French top flight.
Renard was named Ivory Coast manager in August 2014 and he led the nation to Cup of Nations triumph less than half a year later.
“We thank Mr Renard for our collaboration, for the work he did at the head of the national team,” said Pierre Gondo, spokesman for the Ivorian Football Federation.
“We expressed to him our regret to see this collaboration end so soon.”
