The Peninsula
French World Cup winner Laurent Blanc was on Saturday unveiled as new coach of Al Rayyan.
The former France team coach finalised an 18-month contract to end a four-year wait as a coach.
Blanc was given a club jersey in the presence of Sheikh Ali bin Saud Al Thani, Chairman of the Club’s Board of Directors, and Ali Salem Afifa, Vice President of the Club.
Sheikh Ali said in a Twitter post released by the club: "Laurent Blanc is a great addition to Al Rayyan and Qatari football. He is a world coach and a big name in world football. We wish him success with the team during the next stage of our league."
Blanc said during the unveiling press conference that he has 'big goals with Al Rayyan' and is looking forward to achieving the hopes and aspirations of the club's fans in the coming period.
"Al Rayyan fans always want victories and this is my goal with the team, which is to achieve the victories that the fans aspire for," Blanc said on Saturday.
He pointed out that he has followed the Qatari league since he was coaching PSG, due to the strong ties between France and Qatar. He said he is familiar with Al Rayyan players and knows some of them Kaysin Brahimi, who wanted to sign him during his time with the French giants.
"I will work with the players who are currently trying return the team to top of the points table," he was quoted as saying in a tweet posted on the club's Twitter handle.