A Croatian coach, Petar Segrt, has been appointed as the head coach of Afghanistan's National Football Team for the next five years.

Afghanistan Football Federation (AAF) chairman Kramuddin Karim expressed hope at a joint press conference with the new coach on Sunday that Petar Segrt will help the Afghan footballers to become one of the best teams in Asia and world.

"We hope that with the joining of the new coach, we will see more success and development in the team," Karim told journalists.

Meanwhile Petar Segrt said at the press conference that he will work to build the ability of domestic players so that there should be no need to bring players to the team from outside the country.

He said however that many challenges existed in the Afghan team which he need to address.

"I know the situation at the moment in Afghanistan in football is very difficult and I know it will be difficult for me at the start," he said.

The 49-year-old Croatian-born German coach replaces Slaven Skeledzic, who departed after having a short-lived tenure in Afghanistan since being appointed in February this year.

However, the new coach's first task with the Afghan football team is a 2018 World Cup and 2019 Asian Cup joint qualifiers against Cambodia at Takhti Stadium in Tehran on November 12.

Petar Segrt, who holds the UEFA Pro License, previously worked in Bosnia and Herzegovina's Premier League club NK Zvijezda Gradacac.

AFF says that Slaven Skeledzic, former head coach of Afghanistan national football team was a professional and top level technical coach of international football that could put effective steps towards fundamental growth of our country's national team.

"However, his presence was not successful in the short-term program but this does not mean he is lacking awareness of football; presence of such a coach will be felt in another period of time in Afghanistan football, for this end, the leadership board of Afghanistan Football Federation abstained from his further presence in national football team of the country," AAF said in its website.