Claude Le Roy has expressed his pride at becoming Ghana coach and pledged to work towards making the Black Stars African champions in 2008 on home soil.

The Frenchman met the Ghanaian media for the first time on Friday as he was introduced as Ratomir Dujkovic’s successor to a packed hall at the Novotel Hotel in Accra.

He insisted he had accepted the Ghana job because of the immense respect he has for Ghana football before outlining his vision and targets for the nation.

“I was very happy when I signed the contract on Wednesday but as we were all smiling I told the GFA chairman that the most important thing is not how happy you are when you sign but how happy you are when the contract has ended”, he said.

Le Roy takes charge of the Ghana at the time when the Black Stars are flying. Ranked 23rd in the world and already touted as favourites for the CAN 2008 which Ghana is hosting , the Frenchman said he was aware of the challenges.

"I am not too keen on the FIFA ranking because as we have seen that it is not always a reflection of the best sides.

"I can’t promise anyone that we will win the Nations Cup because it will be tough. What I can promise is that I will work really hard towards winning."

Told by a journalist that trying won’t be enough because he must know whether he can deliver the goods, Le Roy’s response was emphatic.

"I want to win CAN 2008, I want to take Ghana to the world cup in 2010 but if I sat here and said Ghana will win CAN 2008 and then become world champions in 2008, you will wonder what sort of person I am. That will be stupid because football is not mathematics."

The Frenchman put pen to paper on a two-year contract with the option for a further two years. The contact begins on October 1st 2006 and ends on June 30 2008.

Members of the GFA were all smiles as they streamed into the news conference on Friday promising they will do all in their power to ensure Ghana gets the best of results under Le Roy.

And key amongst ensuring that Le Roy works in comfort according to GFA chairman Kwesi Nyantekyie is the issue of where he will stay.

Accommodation for national coaches has been a thorny issue after Ratomir Dujkovic’s year and a half stint at the M-Plaza hotel left Ghana with a huge bill. Nyantekyie says the GFA’s long term plan is to purchase a decent property for use as residence for every national team coach but said the association will rent a flat for Frenchman in the meantime.