Mali coach no stranger to Nations Cup

BAMAKO (Reuters) -- Polish-born coach Henryk Kasperczak only took over as coach of Mali three months before the start of the African Nations Cup finals but he is no stranger to the bi-annual event.

As coach of the Ivory Coast, Kasperczak, 55, took his team to a third place finish at the 1994 Nations Cup finals, where they beat Mali in the bronze medal playoff match.

Two years later he was at the helm of the Tunisian side that finished surprise runners-up in the tournament hosted in South Africa, and in Burkina Faso in 1998 his Tunisian side reached the quarterfinals.

Kasperczak has also been national coach in Morocco and worked in China, the United Arab Emirates and France, where he has coached at Metz, Racing Club Paris, Montpellier and Bastia.

As a player Kasperczak formed an integral part of the Polish side that were semifinalists at the 1974 World Cup and won 73 caps. He played at Legia Warsaw, Stal Mielic and ended his professional career at Metz in France in 1979.

 

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