Jean-Louis in a training session with the team in 2015. (Ralph Jean-Louis)
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A former Seychelles men's national team head coach, Ralph Jean-Louis, is temporarily in charge of the selection for the island nation's next two matches in the FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.
The chief executive of the Seychelles Football Federation (SFF), Dennis Rose, made the statement on Thursday.
"The previous national team's management's contract expired after the Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG), and we find that we still need to prepare for the upcoming matches," said Rose.
He said that SFF has "decided to make things easier, by appointing a caretaker management team to lead the team in the next two games, while we then make the necessary procedures to appoint a full-time coach."
Jean-Louis, who helped Seychelles win its first ever gold medal at the Indian Ocean Island Games in 2011, will lead the team in two matches in November, against Cote d'Ivoire and Kenya.
"We have a tough challenge before us, with these two fixtures, but I come in with a lot of experience and we will be looking to bring new methods of training to build the team," said Jean-Louis.
The former St Michel football club midfielder player told reporters that he will be looking to bring in some fresh legs to the team. However, he will have to look at players in the upcoming league games in order to finalise the best selection.
When asked about whether he would be open to applying for the position of full-time coach, Jean-Louis said he would have loved for his engagement with the team to be more long term but taking over the team on a full-time basis is "a bridge I will look to cross when I come to it," he said.
As a player, Jean-Louis played 11 years for the Seychelles national team as a midfielder, and at the club level, he played for Bel Air, Anse Aux Pins and St Michel football clubs. He won two bronze medals as a player at the IOIG as well as a gold as a manager.
This will be Jean-Louis' third stint as Seychelles' head coach, having led the team in 2011 on a one-year contract and then from 2015 to 2016.
Jean-Louis will be assisted by a young coach for the two games, Cote d'Or's Basil Hoareau, who recently completed his Confederation of African Football License A qualification.
Rose said he will be able to bring some fresh ideas to the management, as a younger coach, while Jean-Louis will provide the experience.
