Former France international Sabri Lamouchi has taken over as coach of Ivory Coast following Francois Zahoui's sacking.
Elephants appoint former France midfielder
Former France international Sabri Lamouchi has taken over as coach of Ivory Coast following Francois Zahoui's sacking, the country's football federation (the FIF) have announced.
The 40-year-old ex-midfielder has no previous coaching experience but has been asked to take over after Zahoui was relieved of his duties on Monday.
A statement from the FIF read: "The Ivorian Football Federation informs that Mr Sabri Lamouchi has been named trainer and selector of the national team, replacing Mr Francois Zahoui.
"The FIF executive committee would like to express their thanks to Mr Francois Zahoui for his work during his time in charge of the Elephants."
Lamouchi's playing career brought Ligue 1 titles with Auxerre and Monaco in his native France before leaving for Italy, where he won a Coppa Italia with Parma and also played for Inter Milan and Genoa. He then returned home to Marseille before finishing his career in Qatar.
He won 12 caps for his country and was a member of their Euro 96 squad in England.
The coach's immediate task will be to guide Ivory Coast to qualification for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, with a further eye on reaching the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
