Giresse appointed new Kosovo head coach

Kosovo's football federation on Wednesday announced that Alain Giresse had been hired as the new national team coach.

The 69-year-old former France international who was a key player as Les Bleus won the European Championship in 1984 said he was looking forward to the opportunity to manage the 109th-ranked squad.

"The players are very technical, they like to hold the ball, which I really like. I like the style of play of the Kosovo players," Giresse told reporters in the capital Pristina.

The former Paris Saint-Germain and Toulouse boss -- who most recently managed the Tunisian national team -- has been handed a contract until November 2023 by the territory's football federation.

Kosovo have been without a head coach since Swiss coach Bernard Challandes departed in October.

The first challenges for Kosovo with Giresse at helm will be a pair of friendlies against Switzerland and Burkina Faso in March.