Poland’s Henryk Kasperczak has agreed to coach the Malian national football team, signing a four-year contract.
Kasperczak returns to a team he coached between 2001 and 2002 and led them to fourth place in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations at home in 2002.
The 67-year-old takes over from Frenchman Patrice Carteron, who resigned, and his challenges will include leading the western African nation to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.
Kasperczak knows African football well, having coached Côte d’Ivoire (1993-1994) to third place in the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and Tunisia (1994-1998), a finalist in the 1996 tournament.
He also coached Morocco in 2000 and Senegal from 2006 to 2008.