Togo: Fans want Le Roy out

A handful of angry fans in Lome, chanting exit songs for Head coach Claude Le Roy who failed to qualify the Hawks for the upcoming AFCON in Egypt.

Togo’s last hope was to win away in Benin in the last round of qualifiers but lost 2-1. Fans believe its time to pick a local coach.

“It’s time for Africa to stop hiring these expatriate coaches, who come and are paid exorbitant salaries but in the end do not produce any results. Why not have faith in African coaches, who are competent, who are efficient and who want to do more than what the expatriate coaches are doing?” the protest organiser Edoh Komi told reporters.

Others think otherwise, saying the problem is rooted in administrative and managerial lapses.

Herbert Awoudji is a sports analyst in Lome

“Togo has so far participated in four AFCON tournaments, but has lost out in four other tournaments. We always participate in every AFCON. Is it that the problem lies with the coaches? Every time, we say that the fault lies with the coaches, we always say that coaches must be fired, which we do but the result remains the same. Today, we are here calling for Claude Leroy to be removed. From 2006 up to today, Togo has had 13 coaches changed which has not resolved anything.”

The French man’s contract expired on April 6th but the Togolese football association is yet to make pronouncements on his fate if at all we will be retained or replaced.