CF Montréal assistant coach Patrice Bernier has announced that he will be leaving Thierry Henry's staff to take a broadcasting position with TVA Sports network.
The 41-year-old will retain his duties at the club's academy as post-training supervisor, particularly with the Under-23 team. Bernier was originally hired as an academy coach following his retirement from playing in 2017 and had also worked as an assistant with the first team since 2019.
"The past year has presented me with new perspectives that have made me reflect on my journey and my family life and have led me to make a decision and let the club know about it," Bernier said in a statement.
Bernier was a stalwart for Montréal during his playing days, making 73 appearances for the A-league iteration of the club from 2000-2002 before making another 152 for the MLS side from 2012-2017. He also racked up 56 senior caps for the Canadian national team.
Bernier will act as an analyst for CF Montreal matches as well as other MLS matches on the TVA Sports network, and will also be part of the broadcast team for Euro 2020 matches, which runs from June 11 to July 11 2021.
"We respect the decision made by Patrice in this particular context," CF Montréal president Kevin Gilmore said in a statement. "He will continue to participate in the development of our young players by retaining his functions in our academy and to represent us as an ambassador."
The news comes as rumors continue to swirl around Henry, who has been linked in a recent days to the open head coaching position at Bournemouth.
