South Africa appoints new soccer coach

The South African Football Association, SAFA, has appointed Frenchman, Phillipe Troussier as coach to lead the national team, Bafana Bafana, to this year's World Cup Finals in France.

The forty-two-year-old Troussier, who takes up his job in March, is currently under contract to Burkina Fasso, who are hosting the African Cup of Nations Soccer finals in February.

South Africa -- who are the defending African champions -- will, in the interim, be coached by former international soccer star, Jomo Sono.

Phillip Troussier has wide-ranging experience in Africa, coaching the national soccer teams of the Ivory Coast, and Nigeria.

He also coached the top South African club, Kaiser Chiefs, for nine months in 1994.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service