Otto Pfister, 79, from Germany has been selected as the new coach for the national football team. 
 
The Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) on Sunday introduced Pfister to the media and said he had signed a one year contract. 
 
The AFF also introduced other new technical staff members including Ali Askar Lali, as the new FIFA instructor, Mansour Faqiryar as goalkeeping coach and Anosh Dastger as assistant coach.
 
“After the resignation of Petar Segrt, former coach, we tried to hire a good coach and we were able to reach an agreement with Pfister. We have signed a contract with him and I hope that with Pfister and the new technical staff we will be able to fulfill our people wishes,” said Kramudin Karim, president of the Afghanistan Football Federation. 
 
“I am glad that I am part of the technical staff and happy to be serving as goalkeeping coach. I hope that once again I will be able to make the people smile,” said Faqiryar.
 
Pfister has many years of experience behind him and has coached Rwanda, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Senegal, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Trinidad and Tobago teams. 
 
“I like a challenge. I was in different countries - Ghana, Cameroon, I was in Beirut, I was in Saudi Arabia ... I am not a political man, I don’t think about a political situation or something like this,” said Pfister.
 
Pfister who has also coached in Egypt, Lebanon, and Algeria, called on the Afghan football federation and technical staff to work together in harmony so as to develop Afghanistan football. He aims to see a marked improvement in the team’s first match against Vietnam on March 28 – in their Asian Cup qualifying match scheduled for Tajikistan. 
 
Pfister is cited as one of Germany's most successful coaching exports, and was voted Africa's Manager of the Year in 1992.