The Argentine coaching staff's arrival will put an end to a long two-and-a-half year wait for a national coach since the departure of George Kottan immediately after Bangla-desh's SAFF Championship triumph on home soil in January, 2003.

Cruciani, who was an associate of legendary Argentine World Cup-winning coach Cesar Luis Menotti, will be the tenth foreign coach.

The first foreign coach appointed by the Bangladesh Football Federation was Germany's Bekel Hopt in 1978.

The other foreigners to coach the senior team are Gerherd Schmid of Germany, Nasser Hejaji (Iran), Oldrich Swab (Switzerland), Man Young Kang (Korea), Otto Pfister (Germany), Samir Shakir (Iraq), Mark Harrison (England) and George Kottan (Austria).