Monaco hires Club Brugge coach Clement to replace Kovac

MONACO (AP) — Monaco has appointed coach Philippe Clement on a 2 1/2-year deal after firing Niko Kovac during the midseason break. The 2017 French league champion says on its website that the 47-year-old Clement has signed on until June 2024 from Belgian side Club Brugge. Monaco vice president Oleg Petrov calls Clement “the fitting person (to) bring Monaco back into the elite of French soccer and on the European scene.” Clement took charge of Club Brugge in June 2019 and won two Belgian league titles to make it three in a row, after winning with Genk the previous season.