MANAMA, Nov 4: The Al-Arabi delegation arrived in Bahrain in preparation for their upcoming match against Al-Riffa in the Asian Championship. Assistant coach Mohammed Al-Salman will lead the team in this game, and he has selected a squad of 22 players.

The list includes several players who were absent in previous matches, such as Sultan Al-Anzi, Salman Al-Awadi, goalkeeper Suleiman Abdel-Ghafour (who were suspended), along with Issa Walid and Walid Al-Sabbar.

Meanwhile, Al-Arabi appointed Darko Nestorovic, a Bosnian coach, to take charge of the team’s leadership on Tuesday. This decision comes as a response to the team’s declining performance in both the local league and the AFC Cup, which led to the dismissal of the previous coach, Thomas Berdaric. Brdarić’s termination was immediate following Al Arabi’s 1-3 loss to Al Nasr in the seventh round of the Zain Premier League last Thursday.

Darko Nestorovic, aged 58, has a history with Al-Arabi, having worked with their junior and youth teams in the past. He also led the first team and achieved remarkable results. After his tenure with Al-Arabi, he went on to coach Kazma and later Al-Wehdat in Jordan. He resigned from coaching the Jordanian team in August after leading them to victory in the Cup title and the Super Cup. Darko has also coached various teams in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including Rudar Prijedor, Sloboda Markonjic, Rdanik Bijelina, and Crvejna Zverda.

His first match in charge of Al-Arabi is scheduled after the team’s game against Bahrain’s Riffa tomorrow in the AFC Cup. The club’s management aims to provide him with an opportunity to reorganize the team, especially since local competitions are on hold until the 25th of this month due to international commitments.

In another development, Al-Arabi’s fitness coach, Riccardo Briotti, responded to the club’s announcement of his dismissal. He stated that he decided to leave his position due to family reasons and emphasized his qualifications and professional experience. He expressed his appreciation for the Al-Arabi players, referring to them as the team’s true assets, while expressing his dissatisfaction with the management’s behavior.

Hassan Musa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff