Former Juventus defender Dario Bonetti is to be the new Zambia national team coach, taking charge of their bid to reach the next African Nations Cup finals in 2012 in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Bonetti has signed a two-year contract with Chipolopolo and will begin his quest to participate at the 2012 event in September this year, when they begin their qualifying campaign for the Nations Cup.

FAZ (Football Association of Zambia) president, Kalusha Bwalya, told Zambian Chronicle on Wednesday: “We had a lot of applicants for the job but we think we have found the right guy. We want experience from the top level but also a youthful hunger.”

Bonetti, who also had spells with Roma and Milan, as well as winning a couple of caps for the Azzurri, is not particularly experienced on the bench, but time spent in the lower Italian leagues added to spells with Dundee in Scotland and Dinamo Bucharest in Romania, have been convincing enough to see him put in charge of the southern Africans.

Bonetti takes over at the Zambian helm from energetic French coach Herve Renard, who did well with the side at the last installment of the African Nations Cup before deciding to coach Angola to the next AFCON tournament in two years time. The FAZ tried to hold onto the Frenchman, but a better offer from Angola allowed for Bonetti to come into the picture.

The Italian will get his first taste of African football in September when Zambia play the Comoros Islands in African Nations Cup qualifying, with matches against Libya and Mozambique to follow.