Alejandro Sabella, who led Argentina to the 2014 World Cup final, and respected ex-Al Nasr boss Ivan Jovanovic have been earmarked as long-term targets to replace departed UAE coach Mahdi Ali.
Overtures has been made to determine 62-year-old’s Sabella’s availability by the UAE Football Association, although a heart condition places doubts on this move.
The eight-times-capped former midfielder, who hasn’t worked since leaving Argentina in the wake of their 1-0 defeat to Germany in Brazil, underwent an angioplasty in December 2015 and was hospitalised again four months later only to be released after five days.
In regards to 54-year-old Serbian Jovanovic, who won three trophies from 2013-16 under now UAE FA president Marwan bin Ghalita at Nasr, talks have not begun.
This has opened up the possibility of an alternative candidate being selected ahead of their next qualifier against Thailand on June 13.
Croatian Zlatko Dalic, 50, enjoyed a positive relationship with many of the current squad at Al Ain from 2014-17 but is yet to be approached, while 59-year-old
Colombian Reinaldo Rueda – who guided Honduras and Ecuador to the 2010 and 2014 World Cups – would be extremely interested in accepting the role.
Here's Argentina manager Alejandro Sabella's priceless reaction to a Gonzalo Higuain shot off the post. https://t.co/oFroyV3oLT
— ESPN (@espn) July 5, 2014
Ali, 51, handed in his resignation for the second – and final – time during a tortuous World Cup 2018 qualifying campaign immediately after Tuesday’s limp 2-0 defeat in Australia.
The result left the Whites four points off the progression spots with just three games left in Group B, with a change of direction needed to keep alive slim hopes of a second-ever participation.
“In talks at the point of transition between [ex-president] Yousuf Al Serkal and Marwan bin Ghalita [in April 2016], it was made clear Alejandro Sabella and Ivan Jovanovic were favoured by the new regime if a replacement was required for Mahdi Ali,” a senior and well-positioned source to the UAE FA said. “But you never know, a third man could appear from nowhere.”
A failure to already nail down a successor to Ali is curious in the wake of Ali’s revelation that he had initially offered to quit prior to November’s 2-0 victory against Iraq.
After that game, rumours also reached fever pitch that he had told the squad – many of who he first guided to success at the 2008 AFC U-19 Championship – that he planned to step aside.
Ali’s exit after four-and-a-half years at the helm has ramped up pressure on Bin Ghalita to get this decision right, with passionate calls in Arabic media arguing he and his board should exit as well.
Jovanovic was dismissed by Nasr in October 2016 after three years of fine work were undone by summer-buy Wanderley’s eligibility scandal.
Dalic left two months after guiding Al Ain to November’s 2016 AFC Champions League final.
The 2014 President’s Cup and 2014/15 Arabian Gulf League winner was in attendance last Thursday as the UAE lost 2-0 to Japan.
Highly-rated Rueda most recently won the 2016 Copa Libertadores with Atletico Nacional.
