Dubai: Out-of-contract Al Wasl midfielder Hugo Viana has cited sacked coach Gabriel Calderon as the reason for the Zabeel club’s slump this season.
The Cheetahs won just once in the last seven Arabian Gulf League games to miss out on the top three automatic Asian Champions League qualification placings by four points, eventually ending up sixth in the table.
They also crashed out of the Arabian Gulf Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 defeat to eventual champions Al Wahda in January.
Calderon had blamed the slump on Al Wasl’s decision to replace Brazilian striker Edgar Bruno with his countryman Rogerinho without his consent in the January transfer window. And the Argentine manager had also questioned the mentality of his side as they struggled towards the tail end of the season.
But Viana, who scored two goals in 48 appearances for the club since signing from Al Ahli in January 2015, said Calderon was to blame for their demise after failing to strengthen his tired squad in the right areas when he had the chance.
“It was a little disappointing this season as we had a target of winning the Arabian Gulf Cup and we were very near but many things happened outside the field that couldn’t give us all the conditions to be in the final,” said the 33-year-old Portuguese, speaking to Gulf News on the sidelines of the Adidas Mercury boot launch on Saturday.
Asked if he was referring to Bruno being swapped for Rogerinho, he replied: “It was the decision of the committee to change Edgar for Rogerinho and we have to respect that. I wasn’t speaking about the committee, I was speaking about our coach.
“Our coach wasn’t so clever at that time to understand that the team were very tired and we needed more than we had.
“But, like I say, it’s finished, so we cannot speak, we have to fix those things for the future and forget the past.
“They will still remain a great club and will have a great squad next year to fight to win trophies.”
Calderon’s sacking was confirmed by the club last week. The announcement was unsurprising given that he had been ominously placed on a two-day leave during Al Wasl’s 4-2 President’s Cup quarter-final defeat to Al Ain earlier this month.
Of his own future, Viana, whose contract with the club has now expired, added: “I’m trying to have some time for my family and, if I have the opportunity to stay in Dubai, of course, I will listen to offers. With the future, you never know what might happen, I can still play or maybe I will quit, you never know.”
