Togo national team head coach Claude Le Roy has resigned after a public outcry followed his side’s failure to qualify for 2021 Africa Cup for Nations.
The Sparrow Hawks were among the favorites to make to the next year’s tournament in Cameroon, but failed to win a single match in the qualifiers, as they ended at the bottom of Group G.
Togo began group matches with a loss to lowly ranked Comoros, then drew with Kenya before losing to Egypt- home and away.
In their last two games, the West Africans held Comoros to a goalless draw away in Moroni before being walloped by Kenya 1-2 in last match played in Lome.
Claude Le Roy took charge of Togo national team in April 2016 on an initial three-year-contract in April 2016,taking over a team in turmoil following Tom Saintfiet’s tumultuous reign.
He subsequently masterminded qualification to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations due to Sparrow Hawks being one of two group runners-up with the best record.
In January 2020, the Frenchman man received a two-year contract extension from the Togo Football Association (FTF) and was tasked to guide Sparrow Hawk to next year’s Afcon in Cameroon.
However, the 73 -year-old coach, who has worked on the continent for almost 30 years, failed to turn around Togo’s fortunes.
Since 2019, Le Roy has spent too much time trying to deal with press and public criticism which soared his reputation,which at one time resulted in local fans holding demonstrations.
Le Roy is one of the most successful foreign coaches in African soil, as he guided Cameroon to the 1988 Nations Cup title and has only failed to reach the quarter-finals twice.
Among the other countries he has coached at the continental championship are Senegal, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
