The new national team coach will be announced following the 2018 FIFA World Cup draw on Friday, Arab News has learned from sources at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF).
SAFF spokesman Mohamed Al-Shaikh said yesterday that negotiations are ongoing with one candidate while alternative plans are also in place should they fail to strike a deal with their primary target. Ramon Diaz, Ronald Koeman, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Vincente De Bosque have all been linked with the position. There is even talk of Bert van Marwijk being lined up for a sensational return.
Discussing the profile of the coach, Al-Shaikh said the most important thing for the SAFF is that the new manager aligns with their short and medium-term objectives, which are to reach the second round of the finals in Russia. There is also more than half an eye on the 2019 Asian Cup where the Federation want the Green Falcons to mount a challenge for a fourth victory and their first in 23 years.
Unlike with the choice of Edgardo Bauza, international experience is, according to Al-Shaikh, not necessarily a crucial factor in the selection process. Instead, he says, they are looking for a candidate who can work closely with the technical setup currently in place and deliver the objectives set out for him.
The new manager will certainly face a tough baptism as Federation President Adel Ezzat announced that the Green Falcons will face Brazil, Argentina and Germany in the build-up to the World Cup World Cup, a move designed to replicate the high-caliber opposition the Green Falcons will face in Russia. Bauza was dismissed from the post last week less than three months into the job after the SAFF “conducted a comprehensive technical evaluation” of training camps in the Kingdom and in Portugal. Following three defeats in five friendlies, they lost faith in his ability to lead the team to the World Cup finals in Russia this summer.
