MONTREAL — Major League Soccer club CF Montréal announced Thursday it has reached a new deal with Olivier Renard to head its technical team "for an indefinite period."
The team says Renard will serve as vice-president and chief sporting officer and will sit on the organization's executive committee. He will continue to report directly to president and chief executive officer Gabriel Gervais.
Montreal's entire technical team, which includes the coaching staff, technical staff, therapy staff and doctors, will continue to report to him, and will also continue to oversee the club’s academy.
The 43-year-old Renard was named sporting director of CF Montréal in September 2019.
The team has had a solid start to its 2022 season, sitting third in the Eastern Conference with a 7-5-2 record. Montreal posted a club-record eight-game unbeaten streak in all competitions earlier this year.
Montreal returns to action June 18 when it hosts FC Austin.
"Since joining us, Olivier has largely contributed to the development of the team," CF Montréal chairman Joey Saputo said in a statement. "His vision, his leadership, his philosophy, his intelligence, and his flair for targeting new talent and developing players will take our Club even further.”
Before arriving in Montreal, Renard was the sporting director of Belgian clubs KV Mechelen and Standard de Liège. He also sat on the executive board of Royal Antwerp FC, as a sporting consultant.
As a player, Renard spent several seasons as a professional goalkeeper in Belgium with Sporting de Charleroi, Liège and KV Mechelen, as well as in Italy with Udinese, Modena FC and SSC Napoli.
He also played with the Belgian national team from 2008 to 2012 and represented the country several times at the youth level.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2022.
The Canadian Press
