Togo men’s football coach resigns after Afcon qualification failure

Togo coach resigns after Afcon qualification failure

JOHANNESBURG, April 14 (ANA) – After an eternity – in football terms – as coach of the Togo men’s team, Frenchman Claude Le Roy resigned from his position on Monday.

His decision came after his charges were unsuccessful in their bid to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) scheduled to be held in Cameroon in January.

Le Roy had been in charge of Togo for five years, which included qualifying for the 2017 Afcon which was held in Gabon. However, since their participation in that edition of the tournament – Togo have failed to qualify for the next two editions of Afcon.

Le Roy said: “In football, there is only one thing that matters in the end and that is the results. And after a while, you have to draw the lines.”

Having come to the continent in 1985, Le Roy guided numerous teams including Cameroon, Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Congo and Togo. He guided The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon to the Afcon title in 1988.

After the Le Roy announcement, the Togolese Football Federation (FTF) accepted his decision on mutual consent.

“After missing on qualification to the Total Afcon, Cameroon 2021, Togo national coach Claude Le Roy decided to resign from his post following a meeting with Minister of Sports and Leisure Bessi Lidi-Kama.”

In 35 matches in all competitions at the head of Togo, Le Roy guided the Hawks to nine wins, 12 draws and 14 losses.

Togo will be looking for a new coach before the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers start in June. The Hawks – as Togo are known – are in group H with Senegal, Congo and Namibia. – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman