Soccerex is delighted to announce that Zambia national football team manager, Herve Renard will be speaking at the Soccerex African Forum on 1-2 October.

As one of the youngest and most successful managers currently working on the continent, Renard will be joining a panel of other managers and players to tackle the key issues, including the continent’s different approaches to player development, the support and funding made available, the challenges and benefits of African players moving to European football and one of the most important factors: learning to cope with the pressures of managing and playing in a football-crazy continent.

After a 15-year playing career in France, Renard started his coaching career in 1999 and has gone on to manage sides in France, China, England and Algeria, as well as being head coach of the Angola and Zambia national teams. Currently in his second spell in charge of Zambia, Renard led them to their first African Cup of Nations title in 2012 in Gabon, only a few hundred metres inland from the place where the fatal plane crash which caused the death of 18 players of the Zambian national team in 1994. His reign has also seen ‘The Copper Bullets’ rise 30 places up the official FIFA World Rankings, including a 15-year high of 34th place in 2012.

Herve Renard said: “the Forum will be a great opportunity to meet all of the relevant people concerned about the development of African football. It will be an interesting discussion where we can share our ideas and the different methods we’re currently using within the game.”

Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie remarked: “It’s of great pleasure to welcome Herve to the Forum. As manager of one of the best teams in Africa he will be able to provide a great insight into life behind football management on the continent as well as the fantastic journey Zambia went on in winning the 2012 African Cup of Nations.”

The Soccerex African Forum aims to unite the business of football in Africa by bringing together 1,000 senior football decision makers together with businesses from across the continent and the rest of the world, for two days of unrivalled learning, networking and business opportunities. You can find the conference agenda for this year’s Forum here: http://www.mysoccerex.com/AF13ConferenceProgramme.pdf

(Soccerex Press Release)