(Twitter: @Herve_Renard_HR)
Herve Renard will coach France at the Women’s World Cup this summer after resigning as the men’s team’s head coach of Saudi Arabia.
Renard, 54, asked for his contract to be terminated, according to the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), which was announced on Tuesday.
Corinne Diacre, who was sacked after numerous important players said they would no longer serve their nation under her leadership, would be replaced by him.
The Women’s World Cup will run from July 20 to August 20.
“[Renard] has an offer from the French Federation and expressed his desire to take this opportunity,” SAFF president Yasser Al-Misehal told Saudi Sports Channel.
“We were informed four days before the current international window and I received a letter from the French Federation, and consulted with the board of directors and we decided to accept this request.”
Saudi Arabia was led by the Frenchman who took over as coach in July 2019 to their second straight World Cup finals, when they stunned eventual champions Argentina with a 2-1 victory in Qatar the previous year.
After a friendly loss to Bolivia on Tuesday, Renard – who has never managed a women’s team – told reporters: “I would like to thank everybody in Saudi for their support during almost four years.
“I think I did the maximum with the team. I can’t reach another level so I prefer to be honest with everybody. Thank you again, it was a fantastic time.”