UAE squad get rest as search for new coach continues
The UAE squad will not convene during the international break as the search for a new team manager goes on.
Initially, the UAE had been scheduled to play Morocco in a friendly in Dubai on October 10 – a fixture proposed last month by Edgardo Bauza.
However, the Argentine’s departure to take the reins of the Saudi Arabia national team was announced on September 14, leaving the UAE Football Association searching for a second manager in four months.
Appointed in May as Mahdi Ali’s successor, Bauza was in charge of the UAE for three competitive matches, but failed to guide the side through a successful conclusion for qualification to next summer’s World Cup.
Given that the hunt for a new manager carries on, the UAE’s international players will not meet up this week.
Instead, they have remained with their respective clubs and could feature in the upcoming round of Arabian Gulf Cup matches. The Arabian Gulf League resumes on October 13.
The next month represents a significant period for the FA, who are prepared to wait to install a manager until after World Cup qualification concludes in Europe, Africa and South America.
At present, the federation is considering a number of options, with Morocco’s Herve Renard, Ivory Coast’s Marc Wilmots and Peru’s Ricardo Gareca all potential candidates.
Javier Aguirre, the former Al Wahda manager who has international experience with Mexico and Japan, is also of interest, as is Paulo Bento, the Portuguese manager who led his national team to the semi-finals of Euro 2012.
Bento, 48, has been out of work since March, when he was dismissed by the Greek champion side Olympiakos. He has been sounded out about the UAE job.
Alberto Zaccheroni features highly on the FA’s list, too. The Italian, who led AC Milan to the Serie A title in the 1998/99 season, is best known in Asia for guiding Japan to the 2011 Asian Cup crown.
Meanwhile in other UAE football news yesterday, Arabian Gulf League side Al Nasr have signed Argentine playmaker Mauro Zarate on loan from Premier League side Watford to replace the injured Wanderley.
The Dubai club completed the move, hours before the UAE transfer window shut yesterday. Zarate has signed until the end of the 2017/18 campaign, with Watford retaining the option to recall him in January.
Wanderley suffered a knee injury in the league victory at Al Jazira on Saturday.
The Brazilian scored twice against the UAE champions in a 4-2 win. He was later ruled out for two months.
Zarate, 30, has previously represented among others Lazio, Inter Milan, West Ham United and Fiorentina before joining Watford in January.
However, his playing time at Hertfordshire was restricted following a knee injury in February, limiting the attacking midfielder to only three appearances.