Yaya Touré to become first African head coach in Champions League proper | OneFootball

Yaya Touré to become first African head coach in Champions League proper | OneFootball

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·9 September 2026

Yaya Touré to become first African head coach in Champions League proper

Article image:Yaya Touré to become first African head coach in Champions League proper

Yaya Touré will make history on Wednesday when Slovan Bratislava visit PSG at 21:00 for their league phase opener, becoming the first African head coach to take charge of a Champions League match outside the qualifying rounds.

According to L'Équipe, many close to him had not expected such a moment.


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Touré was on the touchline on 30 August as Slovan lost 1-2 to MFK Zemplin Michalovce in the Slovak league.

Speaking on Tuesday, he said the milestone felt a little strange yet pleasing, and that African coaches often have to work two or three times more. He said change is under way and described this as an era of renewal.

The trip to Paris marks Slovan’s entry into the league phase, a stage Touré framed as part of wider change for African coaches.

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”

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