Sierra Leone has appointed Didier Gomes Da Rosa as the new head coach of the Leone Stars. His first major task is to guide Sierra Leone to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) announced this on Friday, ahead of the 2027 qualifiers in the race to qualify for East Africa, co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

SLFA’s president, Babadi Kamara, confirmed that his salary is lower than what local coaches requested. “In as much as I’ll not disclose his exact figures, but I want to assure you all that what we agreed on is less than what we have been asking for locally.”

Da Rosa has previously managed the Botswana national football team. He has had success at various clubs in Africa, winning league titles with Rayon Sports F.C. in 2013 and Coton Sport FC de Garoua in 2014 and 2015. He also won the Cameroonian Cup with Coton Sport.

Gomes’ focus now is to help Sierra Leone qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. This will be a special tournament as it is the first time it will be hosted by multiple countries in East Africa.

Gomes started his coaching career in 2008 in France, managing teams such as AS Roquebrune Cap Martin, ES Fos-sur-Mer, and AS Cannes until 2011.