Florent Ibenge Leaves AS Vita Job

Democratic Republic of Congo giants AS Vita says they have parted company with the club coach Florent Ibenge by mutual consent.

Ibenge had been under pressure since Vitas’ turbulent 2020/2021 Linafoot campaign, where they lost the league title after being deducted nine points for fielding an ineligible player.

Former Leopards prospect Michel Georges Jean Ghislain Preud’homme is widely tipped to take the position.

AS Vita says they will announce Ibenge’s replacement before the start of Linafoot’s 2021/2022 season in August.

During his spell, he restored the fear back into the 1973 African champions with an enterprising style of football, earning plaudits from around the continent.

Reports have linked the experienced tactician to South Africa, with Orlando Pirates mooted as a possible destination amid the uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of Josef Zinnbauer.

Ibenge is one of the experienced African coaches having been in charge of Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua a job he started in April 2012. After the short sojourn in China, he came and took over the Linafoot bigwigs in 2014.

He was appointed the Democratic Republic of Congo national team head coach in 2014 and combined the role with AS Vita duties. Ibenge led The Leopards to the 2016 African Nations Championship (Chan) title.

He stepped down in 2019 from his national duties and returned to AS Vita