Runaway First Division League champions Bani Yas have rewarded Serbian coach Goran Tufegdzic with the sack less than a week after their coronation.
Tufegdzic, 46, took the reins when a switch to Al Shabab had to be aborted at the last-minute because of May 2017’s shock merger with Al Ahli and Dubai CSC. At his post in Abu Dhabi, the ex-Kuwait supremo oversaw a dominant campaign in which automatic promotion back to the Arabian Gulf League at the first time of asking was earned with games to spare.
Despite his effectiveness at Bani Yas Stadium, the 2010 Gulf Cup winner with Kuwait is left looking for a new employer.
“Bani Yas announces the termination of the relationship with the first-team trainer Mr Goran and his technical staff,” the Sky Blues tweeted. “This follows a full season in which Bani Yas qualified back to the Arabian Gulf League as First Division League champions.
“The football club provides many thanks to the trainer and his crew for all they have done and we wish them more success.
“In the coming days, the football club will announce the name of the new technical director of the first team after studying all the proposed names with the Technical Committee in order to reach the best choice for the future interests of the club.”
Tufegdzic had previously narrowly failed in his mid-season mission to maintain yo-yo club Ittihad Kalba’s top-flight status during 2016/17.
Promoted sides dumping their coach pre-season is a regular occurrence in the UAE.
But Ajman’s continued faith in Egypt’s Ayman Elramady was rewarded with safety for 2017/18.
