Soccer - Burkina Faso tell coach he has to go

OUAGADOUGOU : Burkina Faso have told coach Kamou Malo his contract will not be extended when it expires later this month, a statement from the country’s football federation said on Saturday.

The announcement came despite the fact that Burkina Faso reached the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations this month, far exceeding expectations.

Malou and his assistants met for discussion with the federation on Friday, the statement said, and were told their contracts would be not renewed as the federation sought “to put in place new structures for Burkinabe football”.

Burkina Faso are to play a friendly against world football’s top-ranked team Belgium on March 29 in Brussels.

(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Clare Fallon)