DR Congo names Hector Cuper Leopards coach

Veteran Argentine coach Hector Cuper was on Thursday named the new boss of the Democratic Republic of Congo with the task of taking the Leopards to the 2022 World Cup.

The 65-year-old was most recently in charge of Uzbekistan after three years with the Egypt national team who he successfully guided to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Cuper has also coached clubs in Spain and Italy.

"We have set our sights on the Argentinian Cuper as the new coach of the Leopards of the Democratic Republic of Congo," Constant Omari, president of the DR Congo football federation (Fecofa), told AFP.

Hugo Broos who was this week named the Bafana Bafana coach was also in the running for the Leopards tactician job. 

Congo will not participate in next year's AFCON finals in Cameroon after a lacklustre qualifying campaign. 

To qualify for the 2022 World Cup, the DRC will have to finish first in Group J of the CAF qualifiers against Benin, Madagascar and Tanzania, and then win a subsequent two-legged tie.

Congo has only been to the world cup once in 1974.