French club USL Dunkerque have announced the promotion of Pierre Achille Webo to first team management, following the departure of Albert Sánchez to UD Las Palmas. At 45 years old, the former Cameroonian striker takes on his first position as coach of a professional club, replacing his predecessor in the middle of the season. The decision comes after Webo accompanied Sánchez in the French stage that began in the summer of 2025 and after several years working in technical bodies in Türkiye.
Webo arrived on the professional football scene as a forward in Spain, signing with Leganés after leaving Nacional de Montevideo in 2002. His time at Osasuna was decisive, where he played 128 games and scored 23 goals between 2003 and 2007, contributing to one of the rojillo club's most successful eras. He later moved to Mallorca, where he established himself as a leading striker thanks to his physical power, aerial ability and spirit of sacrifice. This competitive profile and his experience in high-level teams are what Dunkirk hopes to transfer to the bench.
Unlike Sánchez, who comes from the FC Barcelona academy and is characterized by a positional game, Webo represents a more pragmatic, intense and focused approach to locker room management. The immediate challenge will be to maintain the competitive identity of Dunkirk, which aspires to continue fighting for the top positions in Ligue 2 despite the departure of the coach in the middle of the season. The club is confident that Webo's experience in Spain and Türkiye, as well as his leadership, will allow him to guide the team towards achieving its objectives.
Webo's career transcends the sports field. On December 8, 2020, during a Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir, Webo, then part of the Turkish coaching staff, reported comments considered racist by the fourth official. The protest caused both teams to leave the field of play and the match was suspended, resuming the next day with a new referee. This episode, unprecedented in European competition, marked a milestone in the fight against racism in football, as Webo declared years later. The former striker believes that the protest showed that the players could stand up to discriminatory behavior and change the response of the institutions.
Under Webo's new management, Dunkirk prepares to face the second half of the season with fresh leadership and a pragmatic vision. The club hopes that the experience and competitive nature of the former striker will allow it to remain competitive in Ligue 2 and continue chasing promotion positions. The next step will be to evaluate the performance of the team under his command and determine if the internal commitment translates into positive results in the rest of the campaign.