GUINEA RE-AFFIRM KABA DIAWARA FOR HIS SECOND SPELL AS HEAD COACH

Former Guinea international striker Kaba Diawara has been named as the substantive coach of the senior national team.

The 46-year-old was named to take full charge of the Syli National on Thursday after the federation completed its search for a permanent coach of the national team.

Diawara, who led the Guinean selection in a friendly match against South Africa last March, is expected to sign a two-year contract in the coming days.

He was appointed as the interim head coach of Guinea in October 2021 and led the country to the 2021 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon in January.

But the former attacker was relieved of the post following their participation in the tournament in Cameroon, leading to a search for a new coach for the side.

Diawara was preferred to the three other candidates who subsequently applied to lead the national team of Guinea.

The Technical Committee responsible for recruiting the new coach for the Syli National chose the former international striker ahead of his compatriots Mohamed Kanfory Bangoura, Morlaye Soumah and Moussa Thea.

The Normalisation Committee of the Guinean Football Federation decided to make the position available only to Guinean coaches.

Under the direction of Diawara, Guinea were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Gambia, which was playing its first AFCON participation.

He will be in charge from June when the 2023 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers get underway.

Guinea have been placed in a tough group with Egypt, Malawi and Ethiopia.