DR Congo are in disarray just two days before they start their 2013 Africa Cup of Nations campaign after coach Claude Le Roy resigned, MTNFootball.com can exclusively reveal.
According to MTNfootball. com, the Frenchman slapped in his resignation letter on Thursday night citing his side’s bad organisation for his decision to quit the side.
Insiders in the Congolese camp told MTNFootball.com that LeRoy was angry with the federation over the bonuses of the players which has affected morale in camp.
The development leaves the Leopards in turmoil just two days before they open their Group B campaign against Ghana in Port Elizabeth.
His decision to quit the side has the full support of all the players in the team, according to a report carried on Nyota TV.
The coach was already gravely unhappy as he had to spend time chasing visas for his players and other duties which he has been forced to perform.
But the uncertainty surrounding the team’s bonuses for the Africa Cup of Nations forced the Frenchman to handover his resignation letter to Theo Binamungu, the federation’s member in charge of the national team in Port Elizabeth where the Leopards are based.
LeRoy resigned along with his assistant Sebastian Migne in his letter addressed to DR Congo head of state President Joseph Kabila.
The news has also has been reported by the official website of TP Mazembe who have several players in the DR Congo squad for the tournament.
It is not certain if the Frenchman has left the team’s camp in Port Elizabeth.
The 64-year-old Le Roy was in his second spell in charge of the Leopards.
LeRoy coached DR Congo to the 2006 Nations Cup but then decided against renewing his contact in April that year.
The Leopards are a traditional powerhouse of African football, having won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1968 and 1974
DR Congo are in Group B along with Ghana, Mali and Niger and, under Le Roy, who won the Nations Cup with Cameroon in 1988 and led Ghana to third place in 2008.