Esperance Sportive de Tunis announced the identity of its new coach, replacing the dismissed Maher Kanzari, just days before the start of the CAF Champions League quarterfinals.
French coach Patrice Beaumelle, an expert on African football, will take over the reins at Esperance on a contract extending until the summer of 2027.
The 47-year-old coach had been managing the Angolan national team since September 2025 until his departure two days ago to take the helm at Esperance.
Beaumelle boasts considerable experience in African football, having begun his career as an assistant to Hervé Renard with the national teams of Zambia, Ivory Coast, and Morocco, winning the Africa Cup of Nations twice (with Zambia and Ivory Coast).
He then took charge of the Ivory Coast national team himself from 2020 to 2022, before moving to MC Alger, where he won the Algerian league title.
Beaumelle also coached Qatari side Umm Salal for a brief four-month trial in 2025, before taking over the Angolan national team last September.
Esperance is preparing for a crucial match against Al Ahly in the CAF Champions League quarterfinals, with the first leg taking place in Rades on March 13 and the return leg in Cairo on March 20.
Esperance currently leads the Tunisian league standings with 46 points, one point ahead of second-placed Club Africain.
