Former Harambee Stars coach Migne reveals why he accepted Equatorial Guinea job

Former Harambee Stars head coach Sebastien Migne has explained why he accepted the Equatorial Guinea Job.

Migne was appointed Equatorial Guinea's head coach on November 7, 2019, after he entered into an agreement with Kenya's Football Federation (FKF) to sever their association.

Kenya had appointed him as coach in 2018 and in a friendly match against his current side in the same year, the Harambee Stars emerged 1-0 winners. It is that friendly encounter which Migne says made him consider the coaching offer.

“When I was the head coach of Kenya, I realised how difficult it was to play against Equatorial Guinea, which means that their squad has some good potential,” Migne told Fifa.com.

“So, I said to myself, ‘maybe I can do something with that team’, and that’s why I accepted the challenge.”

The French tactician stated how he has dealt with the challenge of getting enough quality players from a population of fewer than 1.5 million people.

“At first, I didn’t have enough time to consider new players, so I stuck with the available squad. Later, I visited every part of the country, trying to find local players, exactly what I used to do with Claude Le Roy,” he explained.

“While we have some European-based players, circumstances in Africa make it difficult for them to adapt. Therefore, I’m focusing on finding the best local players, even if the coronavirus is currently delaying that project.”

The 47-year-old tactician was Le Roy's assistant coach when the veteran tactician was appointed to take charge of the Oman national team in 2008. 

“With Le Roy, I learned how to work outside one’s home country and that football is an international sport and not limited to France, where I’d previously worked,” continued the coach.

“He taught me how to discover international football and how to appreciate other cultures. We started with Gulf countries where we got a taste of Arab culture, before moving to Africa. Embarking on my journey, I could not have had a better mentor than him.

“He taught me how to play attacking football, something I’m trying to implement now.

“He is like a father for me, we worked together for nine years, and our relationship goes beyond work. We spent a lot of time in Africa without our families, so I think that over the years we spent more time together than with our families.”

After a long working relationship with Le Roy, Migne decided to pursue his ambition of being a full coach and was appointed to head the Democratic Republic of the Congo's U20 team in 2013. In 2017 to 2018, he was in charge of the Republic of Congo's senior team.

“It was definitely a difficult call. It’s not easy to put nine years behind you, but when an opportunity to work as head coach presented itself, I jumped at it,” concluded Migne, who helped Kenya qualify for the 2019 African Cup of Nation finals.

“When you’re head coach, you have a lot of pressure on your shoulders. I used to help Le Roy in training sessions, but now the responsibility for everything from team tactics to substitutions lies solely with me.”