Elephants plump for steely coach
Former German international defender Ulrich Stielike was named coach of African Nations Cup finalists The Ivory Coast on Tuesday.
The 52-year-old signed a two year contract and replaces Frenchman Henri Michel who was out of a job after the Elephants fell in the first round of the World Cup finals.
Stielike, capped 42 times by the then West Germany and a member of the team that lost to Italy in the 1982 World Cup final, previously coached Switzerland and three of the under-age German sides and was also assistant coach of the senior side from 1999-2000.
Michel, who now coaches in Qatar, guided Ivory Coast to their first ever World Cup finals this year where they were not disgraced losing out in the Group of Death to Argentina and The Netherlands while beating Serbia and Montenegro.
They also were unlucky in this year's African Nations Cup final losing to hosts Egypt in a penalty shootout.
26/09/2006 |
