travelled French coach Philippe Troussier is vying with Dutch master Guus Hiddink to be the Ivory Coast's coach at the World Cup Finals in June, a Japanese newspaper reported Wednesday. “I got an offer (from the Ivory Coast). But there is another candidate that is Mr. Hiddink,” Troussier, who led Japan to the second round of the 2002 World Cup, told the Nikkan Sports daily. “To me, the World Cup is an interesting challenge. I definitely want to do it,” added the 54-year-old Frenchman, now general manager of FC Ryukyu, a club in Japan's third-tier division. Whoever gets the job will take over from Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic, who was axed after the Ivory Coast failed to make the African Cup of Nations semifinals last month. The job will last until the completion of the Ivory Coast's campaign in the World Cup in South Africa, which kicks off on June 11 and runs till July 11. Ivory Coast has been drawn with Brazil, Portugal and North Korea.
