Dubai: Al Ahli's former captain and current technical advisor Fabio Cannavaro has put forward the names of fellow Italians Fabio Capello and Marcelo Lippi for the vacant UAE manager's job, according to the a report in an Arabic newspaper.
Cannavaro, 38, who lifted the 2006 Fifa World Cup for Italy under Lippi and followed then-Juventus manager Capello to Real Madrid shortly after, said: "Capello and Lippi have considerable experience and possess almost everything as coaches.
"The UAE Football Association would benefit from them, not only inside the stadium but even in the administration. To take advantage of them would change the way the UAE approaches its football by 180 degrees.
"Coaches like Capello and Lippi will help the system and contribute toward the tactics and planning for the future. You can see the potential in the UAE Under-23 team [which has qualified for an Olympic Games football tournament for the first time]. But they need to be led in the right direction."
Cannavaro added of the Olympics, where the UAE will face Great Britain, Senegal and Uruguay: "In such big tournaments, everyone starts at an equal level, but it is important the team has the right expertise and can benefit from the tournament.
Deciding successor
"All these factors depend a lot on where the UAE will finish in the championship."
A permanent successor to Srecko Katanec, sacked last September after a torrid start to the UAE's failed 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, will be decided only after the May 16 UAE FA elections.
Dr Abdullah Misfir is the temporary coach, but the shortlist for a long-term manager was previously thought to include Diego Maradona, Raymond Domenech and current UAE Olympic team coach Mahdi Ali. But Cannavaro's backing of his old out-of-work bosses may well influence the new board's decision.
Cannavaro has repeatedly held the pair up as his biggest inspirations. Since leaving their respective England and Italy jobs in February 2012 and July 2010, both Capello and Lippi have remained out of work.
