Al Dhafra have moved quickly to fill the void left by the Syrian Mohammed Kwid's shock departure by appointing the Emirati manager Eid Baroud. Baroud, who was the manager of second division club Al Jazira Al Hamra, will take them through the season. His first assignment will be a tough Etisalat Cup clash with the Group C leaders Al Shabab on Jan 2. Baroud will be managing a Pro League team for the first time. He was assistant coach at second division Emirates for four games before taking charge of Hamra. Ahmed Jathlan al Mazrouei, the team administrator and member of the Dhafra's board of directors, said he had full faith in the new coach.
"We understand it is hard for anyone to come and take over a team in the middle of the season," he said. "The new coach at least knows the players and the situation we are in at the moment. "We have no complaints on Kwid's departure. It was an amicable one under the agreement we had reached when signing the contract. We respect and understand his plight. "He did a good job for us and returns to his old club where he will have a more important role. It will be a big loss for us but the coach will also have to look to his future. We wish him well."
According to al Mazrouei, Kwid had recommended two strikers before he left. "He had given us his recommendations and the need for better strikers. We haven't scored as much as we would have liked. Even teams below us in the points standings have scored more. We will review this during the transfer window." apassela@thenational.ae
