German Ulrich Stielike has officially been relieved of his duties as head coach of Cote d’Ivoire’s national football squad, the Elephants, the Ivorian Football Association (FIF) said Tuesday. FIF Chairman Jacques Anoma said the contract between the association and the German coach, which expired Tuesday, would not be renewed. After helping the Elephants through to the CAN 2008 finals in Ghana, Stielike failed to travel to Ghana due to the serious health problems of his son, who later died. Frenchman Gerard Gili took charge of the team during the competition, in which the Ivorians finished fourth. Despite this hitch, the German coach had his contract renewed until 15 April (Tuesday). No new coach has been appointed for the team ahead of the qualifiers for the joint qualifiers for the 2010 Nations Cup and World Cup. Panapress.
