Soccer-Finland pick Swede Backe as new head coach

(Adds detail, quotes) HELSINKI, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Hans Backe, a veteran coach and popular commentator on Swedish television, has been named new head coach for Finland's football team, the Nordic country's football association (SPL) said on Wednesday. Backe, a 63-year-old native of Sweden, previously managed FC Copenhagen, who under his stewardship won three Danish championships, and acted as a deputy coach to Sven-Goran Eriksson at Manchester City in 2007-2008. Backe's most recent post as a coach was at New York Red Bulls from 2010-2012. He also served as deputy coach for Mexico in 2008-2009, but Finland will be his first stint as a head coach for a national team. He will take up his new post at the start of 2016, the SPL said. "Everything is possible," Backe told a news conference announcing his appointment on a two-year deal which will run from January 2016, citing the success of Iceland under compatriot Lars Lagerback. "My job will be to lift the self-confidence of the Finnish players so that they believe that everything is possible." Finland's previous coach Mixu Paatelainen was sacked in June, following a fourth straight defeat in the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. That poor run of results leaves Finland second from bottom of Group F with four points from six games and little hope of qualifying for the tournament in France. Finland have never qualified for a World Cup or European Championship finals and are currently ranked 89th in the world. (Reporting By Anna Ercanbrack; Editing by: Ossian Shine)