Soccer-Queens Park Rangers appoint former Rennes boss Stephan as head coach
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Stade Rennes v AS Monaco - Roazhon Park, Rennes, France - October 5, 2024 Stade Rennes coach Julien Stephan REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo
(Reuters) -Queens Park Rangers have appointed Frenchman Julien Stephan as head coach to replace Marti Cifuentes, the English second-tier club said on Wednesday.
Cifuentes was placed on gardening leave in April and officially left the club on Monday following a season in which they finished 15th in the Championship, just seven points clear of the relegation zone.
Stephan, 44, steered Stade Rennais to the Coupe de France in 2019 as well as their first Champions League qualification in 2020 during his first spell at the Ligue 1 club.
He then spent 18 months at Strasbourg between 2021-23 before returning to Rennes, with his second stint there ending in November last year after they won only three of their first 10 league games of the season.
"QPR is a historic club with strong values and passionate fans, so I feel honoured," Stephan said in a statement.
"I wanted to come here because I know there's a lot of passion around the club and around the team, and I feel very lucky to discover that."
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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