体坛英语新闻：Frenchman appointed as coach of Kenyan national football team

NAIROBI, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Frenchman Sebastien Migne is the new Kenyan national football team coach, replacing the Belgian Paul Put, who resigned in February.

The 44-year old has signed four-year contract and will have a tough task of getting the Harambee Stars to the finals of the Africa Nations Cup in Cameroon in 2019.

Migne is the third French tactician in the last decade - after Bernard Lama and Henri Michel - to take charge of the Kenyan national side.

"We are confident in his ability. He knows Africa and it will be easy for him, he will be working until the 2021 AFCON," Football Kenya Federation president Nick Mwendwa said on Thursday in Nairobi.

Migne, who was presented to the media on Thursday, quit a similar position with Congo Brazzaville last month.

Kenya has not qualified for the Africa Nations Cup for 14 years and face Ghana's Black Stars in Nairobi in September in their qualification campaign .

Kenya already lost to Sierra Leone 2-1 in the first round match in their group.

"This is a new challenge for me coming to new country. I look forward to the challenge and will be ready to start working on Sunday," Migne said. "I will go to the stadium to watch the Kenyan Premier League. Let us not focus on Ghana alone, other teams in the group are stronger. But generally, I am ready for the job," he said.

Migne has been given license to select his own assistants, and has brought along a goalkeeper coach and a medical assistant.