LONDON: Just last week, Asian football was celebrating the fact it had five successful World Cup qualifiers for the first time ever. This week, with the draw for the 2018 tournament imminent, two of the quintet are without a coach. For a continent desperate to redeem itself after the misery of Brazil 2014, it neither reflects nor bodes well.
Maybe Nov. 22, 2017 will be known as “Black Wednesday.” It started on a Sydney morning as an emotional Ange Postecoglou sat at a press conference and announced that he was stepping down as Australia head coach. The reasons remain unclear.
Just a few hours later, and thousands of kilometers away in Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) announced that Edgardo Bauza had been given his marching orders. It was a shock but not a surprise given the federation’s history of chopping and changing coaches and speculation just a week earlier that Bauza’s days — limited though they had been — were numbered.
Unlike Postecoglou, who had been in place for four years and had delivered the 2015 Asian Cup, Bauza arrived in Riyadh only in September. The Argentine now has the unfortunate distinction of leaving three national team jobs one year.
Fired by his homeland in April after eight months in charge, released by the United Arab Emirates in September to go to Saudi Arabia, Bauza has clearly had better years.
Bauza’s sacking mirrors what happened the last time the Green Falcons made it to the World Cup. In 2005, another Argentine, Gabriel Calderon led the side through qualification in an impressive fashion. Soon after he was fired as the big bosses reportedly did not like his preparation plan.
In came Marcos Paqueta. The Brazilian was not a big name but had been with Riyadh giants Al-Hilal. Just one point from the 2006 World Cup shows that the gamble did not work.
This is another one. Five friendly games was all Bauza had. For a new coach, three defeats against good opposition should not be a major factor at the start of preparation for the World Cup. But if there was a quick realization that the Argentine was not the right man then it was the right — if ruthless — move.
It’s one that was the result of letting Bert van Marwijk leave in September. The Dutchman, who took his native Netherlands to the 2010 final, had been the Green Falcons coach for two years and delivered a first qualification since 2006. He knew the players and vice-versa.
Talking to the Dutch media shortly after Bauza’s dismissal, Van Marwijk said he’d already been offered his old job. He refused due to the issues that led to his exit, enforced changes to his coaching staff the biggest, still existing.
If true, SAFF going back to offer him his old job back bodes well in terms of how they are approaching the task of replacing Bauza.
What the sacking has done is overshadow the great achievement of Saudi Arabia making it to the showpiece in Russia next year — the side’s first trip to a World Cup since Germany 2006.
All football fans aross the Kingdom will doubtless be hoping the SAFF make the right appointment now to boost the hopes of the side’s and Asia’s World Cup hopes.
Asian football goes from joy to despair in a short week
Asian football goes from joy to despair in a short week
Mhally lands Saudi Cup start
- 2000 Guineas winner shines in The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup
RIYADH: Last year’s winner of the 2000 Guineas, Mhally (GB), stepped up to the mark 12 months later to earn a place in the 2026 Saudi Cup with victory under in-form Ricardo Ferreira in the Group 3 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup.
The success in the $400,000 feature at King Abdulaziz Racecourse was part of a Ferreira four-timer and capped a terrific day for the rider who, along with trainer Thamer Al-Daihani and owner Sheikh Abdullah Homoud Al-Malek Al-Sabah, also won the 2000 Guineas again, this time with Al-Haram (IRE).
Mhally progressed from his 2000 Guineas success to be third on Saudi Cup night in the Derby in 2025 and will be back again this time in the main $20 million event on Feb. 14 after proving his stamina in the qualifier over 1800m.
There were four in with a chance halfway down the home stretch, but Mhally knows where the winning post is at King Abdulaziz and found more when required to deny last year’s US winning rider, Joel Rosario, aboard Ameerat Al-Zamaan (GB) by three-quarters of a length.
And the owner-trainer-jockey combination could have another superstar on their hands, given Al Haram’s devastating success in the $124,000 2000 Guineas sponsored by J Event.
The 3-year-old had won both of his previous starts over the 1600m trip but took his form to a new level to qualify for the $1.5 million G3 Saudi Derby.
Al-Haram was slightly slow away and found himself at the rear of the field, leaving himself with a huge task ahead, but he found generously for pressure and surged through the field to win in monstrous fashion by seven-and-a-quarter lengths.
Maestro Du Croate (FR) ran well to be third last week and got off the mark at the seventh attempt under Camilo Ospina to take the $44,000 G3 Al-Diriyah Cup sponsored by STC.
Nijinski Al Maury (FR) looked to be going best turning in, but the Bassim Al-Mousa-trained 4-year-old found more under an inspired Ospina, and after an almighty tussle, collected by one length to qualify for the $2 million G1 Obaiya Arabian Classic.
Ospina also took the $44,000 Riyadh Dirt Sprint Qualifier sponsored by Nova as his Min Shan (KSA) led home a one-two for the White Stable of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and Sons.
Over three lengths separated Min Shan from the Mickael Barzalona-ridden Jeddah Beach (USA) at the line, with the winner completing a hat-trick over the 1200m trip to land a gate in the $2 million G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint.
One of Ferreira’s other winners came as Thayaf (KSA) maintained his unbeaten record with a fourth career victory in the domestic G1 King Abdulaziz Cup, while Christophe Soumillon landed back-to-back wins aboard Wanaameen (KSA) as they followed up last month’s success in the domestic G1 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup.
