Pierre Lechantre Sacked As Congo National Team Coach

Written by Peter Pedroncelli

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Frenchman Pierre Lechantre has been fired from his position as the head coach of the Congo national team following their poor start to the group stages of the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Uganda secured a 1-0 victory over the visiting Congolese in a Group E encounter that saw the East Africans outmanoeuvre their opponents.

A low shot from Farouk Miya was enough to give the Cranes the win, leading to Lechantre’s sacking, as Congo languish in bottom place after two successive defeats – the first coming at home against Egypt, 2-1 in favour of the Pharaohs.

With Egypt now topping the group on six points, the gap between the North Africans and Congo is already wide, and a berth at Russia 2018 seems increasingly unlikely.

The 66-year-old Frenchman becomes the fourth coach of an African national team to be fired since the World Cup qualifying campaign began in October, after the coaches of Algeria, Gabon and Libya were also relieved of their duties.

Pierre Lechantre gets the axe

After a meeting with Congo Football Federation officials this week, the coach was told of his sacking.

He has been in charge of the Congolese national team for almost a year, and during that time the team’s return has been abysmal, with only one victory in seven encounters.

The team did not qualify to take part in next year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Gabon, which was a disappointment for the team currently ranked eighth on the continent in the most recent FIFA rankings (55th overall).

That disappointment was not enough to require the coach to leave his post, but the terrible start to World Cup qualification proved to be the final push needed for the federation to act.

Lechantre won the 2000 Nations Cup with Cameroon, and has also been in charge of the Qatar and Mali national teams during his career.