Former Ivory Coast head coach and veteran French football manager Jean-Louis Gasset has died at the age of 72. The news was confirmed on Friday by his former club, Montpellier.
Gasset was in charge of Ivory Coast during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations but was dismissed after a heavy 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea in the group stage. The loss was one of the biggest shocks in the history of the tournament and saw the host nation finish third in their group.
Despite his dismissal, Ivory Coast qualified for the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed teams and went on to win the tournament under Gasset’s assistant, Emerse Faé.
After returning to France, Gasset was appointed head coach of Olympique de Marseille but spent only four months at the club. He later returned to Montpellier, where he had both played and coached, but was sacked in April as the team struggled against relegation.
Jean-Louis Gasset spent most of his playing career at Montpellier, a club with deep family ties, as his father was one of its founders. The cause of his death has not been made public.
