Togo national team has handed Claude Le Roy a new contract despite protests from fans and pundits over his age of 71 and inability to qualify the team for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Frenchman, who was initially appointed in 2016, saw out his three-year deal last month and many in the West African country were hoping to see his back much in part for the Sparrow Hawks’ bitter defeat to onetime minnow neighbours Benin Republic, who went on to shine at Egypt 2019.
However, Togo FA president Guy Akpovy justified the decision to keep the former Cameroon, Senegal, DR Congo and Ghana coach on board.
“We have the Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA World Cup qualifiers to prepare for and so we cannot at this time invite candidates for screening. We want to continue with Leroy because he already knows the players and qualified the team to the second round of the World Cup qualifying,” he said.
There have been calls for team captain Emmanuel Adebayor to demand for a new coach “capable of reforming” the Hawks to “bring back the old glories”, but the former Tottenham forward appears to be on good terms with Le Roy.
Togo are in Group H of the 2022 WC qualification African zone alongside Senegal, Congo and Namibia.
