Is Haiti international football's real impossible job?

When Graham Taylor was England manager, his domiciled was referred to by a documentary unit arsenic an "impossible job". Sebastien Migne smiles wryly erstwhile he is asked whether he has nan position that really deserves that title.

Migne is nan caller head of Haiti, pinch nan little of guiding them to a first men's World Cup for half a century.

It is simply a situation made overmuch harder by nan governmental and societal chaos gripping nan Caribbean island, which intends Migne is improbable to beryllium capable to group ft location for nan foreseeable future.

Gangs now power astir of nan capital, Port-au-Prince, and prevented premier curate Ariel Henry from returning to nan state pursuing a overseas trip, starring to his resignation. BBC News study that parts of nan state person efficaciously go lawless.

Haiti has been ravaged by pack unit for years, but unit perpetrated by equipped groups escalated successful precocious February.

While nan gangs said their main purpose was to oust Henry, unit continues. They person attacked police, looted universities and libraries, torched pharmacies and forced nan closure of Port-au-Prince's largest hospital.

So why has Migne decided to negociate their nationalist shot team?

"Honestly, I person a batch of enthusiasm," nan 51-year-old Frenchman tells BBC Sport. "It is not nan champion statement of my life, but it is important astatine this time.

"The task is interesting, Haiti has a bully past successful football. The thought is to constitute a caller communicative pinch nan players, and we person a awesome opportunity because nan USA, Canada and Mexico person already qualified [as joint-hosts].

"They cognize precisely what we want to create, and that is to suffice for nan World Cup."

The 3 North American nations will co-host nan 2026 World Cup, which will beryllium nan first to characteristic 48 teams. As good arsenic nan hosts, 3 further sides from nan Concacaf region will qualify, and different 2 will compete successful nan inter-confederation play-offs for further places.

This opens nan doorway for Haiti to scope a first men's World Cup since 1974, erstwhile they reached nan finals successful West Germany. They mislaid each 3 group games, conceding 14 goals to Argentina, Italy and Poland.

Their agelong roadworthy to nan finals originates successful nan first of 2 group stages of Concacaf qualifying, pinch an opening lucifer against Saint Lucia connected 6 June.

It was expected to beryllium a location lucifer for Haiti, but that is presently retired of nan question. The Saint Lucia crippled will beryllium played successful Barbados, and Migne is unsure what will travel aft – some wherever they will play, aliases who will play for them.

"It's difficult, because it is intolerable for maine to spell to Haiti to observe caller talent, and to person afloat assurance successful section coaches to springiness maine afloat information," he says.

"For example, I tried to person a subordinate to travel pinch america for nan adjacent matches. We needed administrative papers, but each nan embassies are closed successful nan country."

Migne is utilized to an constituent of chaos, pinch coaching roles successful Syria connected his CV. A seasoned of guidance successful Africa, his erstwhile nationalist squad jobs see Congo, Kenya and Equatorial Guinea.

But he has had a sensation of World Cup glory before, arsenic adjunct head for Cameroon astatine Qatar 2022.

While Cameroon did not get retired of nan group stage, they stunned Brazil 1-0 successful their last lucifer – a consequence which has lit a occurrence successful him to return to nan biggest show connected Earth.

"Of course, immoderate friends told me: 'You are wholly crazy,'" he says. "Maybe it is true, but I judge successful nan project. I judge we tin create a large surprise. We person quality."

Since being appointed connected 10 March, Migne has been difficult astatine activity making nan champion of a unsmooth job. Haiti drew 1-1 distant to French Guiana successful his first crippled successful charge, and since he has assigned his coaches and scouts to scour nan world successful hunt of talent.

One of nan cardinal roles for nan head of a mini nationalist squad is convincing players eligible done family and practice to correspond those nations. Migne has approached Wolves guardant Jeanricner Bellegarde – calved successful France but of Haitian descent – and Hull City winger Jaden Philogene astir imaginable call-ups.

"Step by step, we effort to found interaction pinch them to coming nan task and person them," Migne says. "It is simply a agelong process."

Migne has a peculiar liking successful convincing English players, arsenic a person of English football. He said to BBC Sport while wearing a Liverpool sweater and told of his admiration for Jurgen Klopp.

"After taking Haiti to nan World Cup, past I want to negociate successful nan Premier League aliases Championship, I would emotion to," he says.

But earlier then, Migne has to effort and someway guideline war-torn underdogs Haiti each nan measurement to nan World Cup.

So, is his nan existent intolerable job?

"It's not [impossible]. It is interesting."