Al Ain: An emotional Zlatko Dalic announced his departure as manager following Al Ain’s 3-1 loss to Al Jazira in the Arabian Gulf League on Monday.
Club officials have confirmed that Dalic’s resignation has been accepted and an announcement of an immediate replacement is expected soon.
Al Nasr’s former Serbian manager Ivan Jovanovic is the front-runner for the post.
It is understood he turned down an offer from Al Shabab, who sacked Dutch coach Fred Rutten earlier in the week, to accept Al Ain’s request.
Al Shabab’s appointment of fellow Serbian Miroslav Djukic, the former Valencia coach, is thought to be on Jovanovic’s suggestion.
“It is confirmed that he (Dalic) is on his way out and the club has accepted his decision. There are many names cropping up but we will be zeroing on a suitable replacement by evening or tomorrow,” said an Al Ain spokesperson.
The loss against Jazira was Al Ain’s second straight defeat.
They lost to Emirates 3-2 last week and were held by bottom-placed Baniyas to a 1-1 draw. The series of setbacks has dented Al Ain’s chances in the AGL as they have slipped to third spot, seven points behind leaders Al Jazira and one point behind second-placed Al Ahli.
“I have done my best. I don’t want people coming and shouting and abusing me and my club. I spoke with my supervisor that I’m ready to leave. I’m really proud of my three years at the club. I think it’s time. I don’t want to take anything from anybody. I need to rest,” said Dalic adding that he was mentally drained out and needed a break.
“I don’t have anything against my players, my club and the fans. Thank you for everyone who has supported me. This is a friendly chat because I don’t want to make any problem with my club,” Dalic, who joined the club in 2014 and got his contract extended by another year in 2016, added.
“We lost but I can’t say nothing about my players. They did everything they could. They created a lot of scoring chances both from left and right, but couldn’t score. This is football,” Dalic, under whom Al Ain won the President’s Cup in 2014, Arabian Gulf League 2014—15, UAE Arabian Gulf Supercup 2015 and finished runner-up in the AFC Champions League in 2016.
With the win against Al Ain, Al Jazira moved six points clear at the top of table. For Al Jazira, Mohammad Fawzi scored towards the end of the first half and Leonardo doubled the lead after the switch-over. Al Ain star Omar Abdul Rahman reduced the margin with a 30-yard effort, but Jazira striker Ali Mabkhout sealed the match with a strike on the counter in injury time.
Al Jazira manager Henk ten Cate was elated with this team’s effort saying: “The dream continues. You can’t imagine how extremely proud I’m with this team. They showed very, very big heart today. Our techniques worked very well.”
The coach went on to reveal that his masterstroke was introducing Ailton Almeida from the right wing.
“Ailton’s inclusion forced them to play No 19 (Mohanad Salem) as a left-back and this is where we hurt them twice. Especially the first goal from Fawzi (was) a fantastic combination with Ailton. For me, still, Al Ain is the team that plays the best football in the country. So we had to find a way to play them and this is what we did tonight.”
