The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has officially hired French coach Hervé Renard, as the new manager of its national football team to replace Argentine's Juan Antonio Pizzi. Hervé Renard has signed a two-and-a-half year contract with the Saudi Football Federation, the Saudi sports daily Al Riyadiyya reported on Sunday. The 50-year-old French manager has never been in charge of an Asian team. Before landing in Saudi Arabia, Hervé Renard led several African teams, namely Morocco, Zambia, Angola and Côte d'Ivoire. He helped Zambia in 2012 and Côte d'Ivoire in 2015 to win the Africa Cup of Nations title. Saudi Arabia, which is preparing for the second phase of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, is lodged in Group D alongside Uzbekistan, Palestine, Yemen and Singapore.
