Burkina Faso’s football federation has fired coach Paulo Duarte after the national team lost all three of its games at the African Cup of Nations.

Burkinabe Football Federation (FBF) chairman Zambede Theodore Sawadogo said on Friday on national radio that Portuguese coach Duarte had “failed to impose himself as leader of the group” at the tournament.

Duarte’s contract was set to expire on March 31, but Sawadogo said the FBF decided to end it early because of the poor results at the African Cup. Burkina Faso lost to Angola, Ivory Coast and Sudan in Group B.

Sawadogo said assistant coach Mocktar Baro would take charge for the Feb. 29 friendly in Morocco.

The 42-year-old Duarte had coached Burkina Faso since 2008.

Associated Press