FRANCE 98 – General Media News Template

Tunisia national coach Henri Kasperczak is the longest serving in Africa, having taken over after a dismal showing by the hosts of the 1994 African Nations Cup.

Within two years the small North African state had finished runners-up to South Africa at the next Nations Cup and qualified for the Atlanta Olympics. The icing on the cake for Kasperczak came last June when a 0-0 draw in Egypt clinched one of a record five places reserved for Africa at the 1998 World Cup. Not only were Tunisia returning to the international football showpiece after a 20-year absence, but they had beaten and drawn with group favourites and arch-rivals Egypt.

Kasperczak was less satisfied after the Nations Cup three months ago in Burkina Faso, where Tunisia rarely clicked and were eliminated in the quarter-finals by outsiders Burkina Faso. Be it success or failure, the 51-year-old Polish-born French citizen never changes his emotions, seating on the bench with assistant Ali Selmi and observing intently. He played against Tunisia at the 1978 World Cup after collecting a bronze medal in the same competition four years earlier and a silver medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

After coaching at French clubs Metz, St Etienne, Strasbourg, Racing Club de Paris and Montpellier, Kasperczak steered Ivory Coast to third place at the 1994 Nations Cup in Tunisia. His love affair with Africa had begun.