SOCCER: Veteran coach Le Roy takes over as Congo Republic boss

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.

-Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Toby Chopra/Reuters