Herve Renard has resigned as Saudi Arabia coach in order to take over as coach of the France women’s team, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) said on Tuesday.
The federation agreed to terminate Renard’s contract at his request, it said in a statement on Twitter.
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“A legal settlement has been reached to end the contract between the two parties. The President and Board of Directors of SAFF wish for Mr. Renard every success in his future career,” it added.
Frenchman Renard has an offer in place to take charge of the France women’s team, who will participate in this year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand from July 20, the SAFF president said.
“[Renard] has an offer from the French federation and expressed his desire to take this opportunity,” Yasser Al-Misehal told Saudi Sports Channel (SSC) on Tuesday.
“We were informed four days before the current International calendar and I received a letter from the French Federation, and consulted with a number of members of the Board of Directors, and we decided to accept this request,” Al-Misehal added.
Sources told ESPN last week that Renard was set to replace Corinne Diacre, who was dismissed as France women’s coach following opposition from several high-profile players.
Renard, 54, took over Saudi Arabia in July 2019, and led the team to a famous 2-1 win over eventual winners Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar last year.
“I would like to thank everybody in Saudi for their support during almost four years,” Renard told reporters after a 2-1 defeat to Bolivia on Tuesday.
“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 fantastic time.”