The Frenchman was assigned to help Congo DR through their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, which involves facing Egypt, Malawi and Djibouti in Group 12.

"I received a number of offers including some from African national teams but the Congolese challenge attracts me," Neveu said.

"My target is helping the Simbas qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa."

Neveu, who was sacked by Ismaili last year, had previous experiences with Niger and Guinea, leading the latter to the quarter-finals of CAN 2006 in Egypt.

The Leopards' next competitive test will be against African champions Egypt in June.