Veteran Argentine coach Hector Cuper has been told his contract with the Democratic Republic of Congo is being terminated because of poor results, an official source confirmed to AFP on Thursday.

Cuper was unsuccessful in his main task of taking the Leopards to the 2022 World Cup, with their qualification for the 2023 African Cup of Nations compromised after two successive defeats.

"I regret to notify you of our desire to terminate the contract concluded with you on May 30, 2021," Congolese Sports Minister Serge Chembo Nkonde wrote in a letter to Cuper, seen by AFP.

Cuper is notably accused of "the non-improvement of the performance of the national team", according to this letter of "notice of termination of contract", dated June 9.

"The process of terminating the contract is irreversible, there have been no results since he took over as head of the national team," Louis Tole, chief of staff to the sports minister, told AFP.

DRC were crowned African champions in 1968 and 1974. They were also the first team from sub-Saharan Africa to have participated in a World Cup, also in 1974, organised in Germany.

The widely-travelled Cuper, 66, previously coached in Spain and Italy as well as the national sides of Egypt, Uzbekistan and Georgia.