It has now shockingly been claimed that it was French boss Herve Renard who was the real mastermind behind the Ivory Coast's 2023 Africa Cup of Nations triumph.
Earlier this year, the AFCON 2023 tournament hosts did what looked like the unthinkable at one stage as they won their first continental title since 2015.
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The triumph looked unimaginable during the group stage, when the Elephants finished third in their group and looked to be on the verge of elimination, needing other results in the competition to go in their favour in order to qualify for the knockout rounds as one of the four best third-place teams.
Then-manager Jean-Louis Gasset was sacked for the country's poor start to the showpiece, and was replaced by his assistant Emerse Fae on an interim basis.
With Fae at the helm for the remainder of the competition, the side went on to beat Senegal, Mali, DR Congo, and Nigeria to lift the trophy.
However, prior to Fae being put in charge as caretaker coach, it was reported that Ivory Coast had approached their former manager Renard and offered him a short-term deal that would have seen him take charge of the African giants for the remainder of the AFCON.
However, their approach was rebuffed by the French Football Federation as the tactician is currently the head coach of the European country's senior women's national team.
While Fae has since been rewarded with a permanent contract as the Ivory Coast manager for his success, Cameroonian journalist Jean-Lambert Nang has now claimed that it was Renard who orchestrated the Elephants' latest success from behind the scenes.
"It was Herve Renard who was in charge behind Emerse Fae during the Ivorian AFCON. It was Herve Renard who guided the Elephants of Cote d'Ivoire behind Emerse Fae, the official coach," he said on Info TV.
"Many do not know it. The Indomitable Lions deserve a man like Herve Renard to be at their head."
There is an ongoing stand-off in Cameroon over the recent appointment of Belgian coach Marc Brys as the Indomitable Lions' new head coach by the nation's government.
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The Cameroonian Football Federation has opposed the new appointment, having drafted its own managerial shortlist, which had Renard as a top candidate but was ignored.
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