Frenchman Beaumelle takes over as Angola coach
Soccer Football - Africa Cup of Nations - Round of 16 - Ivory Coast v Egypt - Douala Stadium, Douala, Cameroon - January 26, 2022 Ivory Coast coach Patrice Beaumelle reacts REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
Angola have named Patrice Beaumelle as their coach, with the Frenchman taking over a week before their final set of 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
He replaces Pedro Goncalves, fired last week after Angola lost at home to Libya and fell out of the race for a place at the finals in North America next year.
The 47-year-old Beaumelle has been a long-standing fixture on the African coaching circuit, mostly as assistant to compatriot Herve Renard, including a stint with Angola between 2010-2012.
Beaumelle also served as head coach of Zambia and Ivory Coast, and took Algerian club Mouloudia Alger to the group phase of last season’s African Champions League.
He will start his job with World Cup qualifiers in Eswatini on October 8 and Cameroon on October 13 before taking charge of the Angolan side at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco at the end of the year.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Ed Osmond)
