Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic has been named Ivory Coast coach, signing a two-year contract to take charge of the country's bid to reach a second successive World Cup finals.

The 55-year-old Halilhodzic (pictured) replaces German Uli Stielike less than a month before the Ivorians begin their World Cup qualifying campaign at home to Mozambique on June 1.

"It is a terrific sporting challenge. It is a team with much ambition which possesses a very talented generation but who have won nothing," Halilhodzic told L'Equipe.

The former Yugoslav international has coached French clubs Stade Rennes, Lille and Paris St Germain.

Meanwhile, Lemerre, who steered France to the European Championship title in 2000 and Tunisia to African Nations Cup victory in 2004, flew to Morocco on Monday to discuss contract details with the FRMF.

"At the end of the talks, it was agreed that all the conditions are currently met for Lemerre to take over as the new coach beginning July 1, 2008," the FRMF said in a statement.

Lemerre is still Tunisia's coach although his contract expires next month. The Tunisian Football Federation said in February after their team were eliminated in the African Nations Cup quarter-finals that it would not renew Lemerre's contract.

The 66-year-old was Aime Jacquet's assistant when France won the World Cup in 1998, taking charge after that success on home soil and winning the European title in the 2000 tournament in Belgium and the Netherlands.

He took the Tunisia post in 2002 in the wake of France's shock first-round exit from the World Cup in Asia.

Under Lemerre, Tunisia won the African title on home soil in 2004 and qualified for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Reuters