Tom Saintfiet was just 27 when he first packed his bags for Africa to take command of Côte d'Ivoire side Satellite Abidjan. He could not have known it at the time, but 15 years later the Belgian coach is back on African soil and holding the reins of one of the continent's powerhouse teams, with his sights sets on steering Togo to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™.
Sealing a World Cup place remains the ultimate dream for the 42-year-old, who narrowly missed out on leading Malawi to Brazil 2014 two years ago. The frustration of that campaign still lingers, but Saintfiet hopes to make up for that disappointment on the road to Russia, even if his side face a stiff test to reach the group stage of qualifying after losing the home leg of their second round tie 1-0 to Uganda.
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