Former Super Eagles forward John Utaka has been appointed head coach of French side Montpellier’s women’s team.
The 43-year-old takes over from Frédéric Mendy and will work alongside Baptiste Merle until the end of the season, with support from sporting director Jean-Louis Saez, according to Ouest France.
Utaka is no stranger to French football, having played for Lens, Rennes, and Montpellier, where he helped the club secure a historic Ligue 1 title in the 2011–2012 season by scoring twice in the final game.
He returned to Montpellier in 2020 as a youth team forwards coach and briefly managed the women’s side in 2021.
The ex-Nigerian international, who earned his UEFA A Licence in 2022, was most recently assistant coach of the club’s U19 men’s team.
Montpellier’s women currently sit fifth in the French Division 1 table with 27 points from 19 matches, trailing third-placed Bordeaux by 11 points.
