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Herve Renard, head coach of Morocco and Stuart Baxter, head coach of South Africa during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Photo: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix

World Cup 2022: Who is Saudi Arabia head coach?

Saudi Arabia pulled the first major upset of the 2022 FIFA World Cup as they beat Argentina 2-1 in their opening game on Tuesday afternoon.

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Herve Renard, head coach of Morocco and Stuart Baxter, head coach of South Africa during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Photo: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix

Saudi Arabia pulled the first major upset of the 2022 FIFA World Cup as they beat Argentina 2-1 in their opening game on Tuesday afternoon.

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Argentina went into the encounter against ‘minnows’ Saudi Arabia as strong favourites  after going 36 games without a defeat.

However, Saudi Arabia showed the world how to beat them as they scored two second half goals to claim their first three points of the tournament.

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And the man behind Saudi Arabia’s win over Argentina is popular on the African continent as he has coached a number of national teams in his career.

His name is Herve Renard

Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard. Photo: © AFP

WHO IS SAUDI ARABIA COACH HERVE RENARD?

Herve Renard is a 54-year-old coach who was born in France, and is a former professional player who played for Cannes, Stade de Vallauris and SC Draguignan between 1983 and 1998.

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Renard first arrived in Africa in 2008 to take charge of the Zambia senior national team until Angola roped him in as head coach in 2010.

The French man later returned to Zambia and guided them to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) triumph in 2012.

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Renard would again win the AFCON trophy in 2015 but that time with Cote d’Ivoire to become one of the few coaches to have won the trophy twice.

He did have a stint with Morocco between 2016 and 2019 before Saudi Arabia appointed him as head coach soon after his departure.

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