Veteran coach Le Roy takes over as Congo Republic boss

Congo's head coach Claude Le Roy of France reacts during their opening match against Equatorial Guinea at the 2015 African Cup of Nations (AFCON 2015) football tournament at Bata Stadium, in Bata Jan 17, 2015. REUTERS

Veteran French coach Claude Le Roy is returning to the helm of an African national team after being named as the new coach of Republic of Congo, the country’s Ministry of Sports announced on Wednesday.

It will be the 78-year-old’s 12th national team appointment and a second stint with the Congolese, where he was coach from 2013-2015.

It is his first job in five years and follows stints as coach of Cameroon (twice), Senegal, Malaysia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (twice), Ghana, Oman, Syria, Congo, and Togo, where he last worked five years ago.

His "priority objective will be to qualify Congo for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, while progressively implementing a sustainable sporting project based on competitiveness and discipline," a statement said.