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ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- Herve Renard has quit as Ivory Coast coach three months after leading the team to the African Nations Cup title. The Ivory Coast Football Federation said on Friday it had agreed to end the Frenchman's contract early. Renard has been linked with the head coach role at Lille with current boss Rene Girard set to leave at the end of the season. Renard was appointed Ivory Coast coach in July last year and ended the West African nation's long title drought by winning the African Cup in Equatorial Guinea in February, beating Ghana in a penalty shootout. It was Ivory Coast's second continental title and first in 23 years. The victory was also Renard's second Cup of Nations success as a coach after leading Zambia to victory over Ivory Coast in the 2012 final. The victory with the Ivory Coast in Equatorial Guinea made him the first coach to win the African title with two different countries. In a statement released by the Ivorian federation, Renard said he was looking to take his career in a "new direction." Renard has coached in the French league before, when he was briefly in charge of Sochaux from 2013-14 but couldn't save them from being relegated from Ligue 1. The Ivorian federation said Renard was expected to join Lille. Renard's regular assistant coach, Patrice Beaumelle, was also leaving Ivory Coast and was expected to join Renard at Lille, the Ivorian federation said.
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