By AFPMore by this AuthorSAINT ETIENNEFrench football is mourning Robert Herbin, the inspirational coach of the flamboyant Saint-Etienne team that was narrowly defeated in the 1976 European Cup final. He played more than 400 matches for Saint-Etienne and later brought a cerebral approach to coaching, earning the nickname the "The Sphinx" as he dragged French football back into the international spotlight. St Etienne board member Bernard Caiazzo paid tribute to Herbin, saying: "We will always remember a great international player but also an exceptional coach who brought the pride back to French football at a time when we were at a low." "He showed us that 'impossible' doesn't exist in football," St Etienne chairman Roland Romeyer said. "That is how St Etienne beat the biggest clubs in Europe in the 1970s.

Source: Daily Nation April 28, 2020 12:45 UTC