Al Jazira have parted ways with head coach Hussein Ammouta after the Abu Dhabi club started the UAE Pro League season with defeat on Sunday.
Jazira spent significantly in the summer, bringing in Willyan Rocha from Russia's CSKA Moscow and Igor Serrote from Gremio in Brazil. But the season began on a rough note as they lost 3-2 to Khor Fakkan, despite their opponents being reduced to 10 men.
“Al Jazira Football Company has decided to part ways with first team head coach Hussein Ammouta and his coaching staff,” the club said in a statement.
“The club extends its sincere gratitude and appreciation for their efforts and contributions during their time with us.”
Al Jazira said details about the new coaching staff will be announced shortly.
On Sunday, Khor Fakkan upped the ante in the second half and went ahead through Brazilian forward Lourency.
They doubled the advantage in the 59th minute when Tarik Tissoudali weaved his way down the left flank before squaring for Aylton Filipe, who tapped home.
Al Jazira fought back through Frenchman Nabil Fekir, who converted a penalty in the 67th minute, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way. Ten minutes later, he took another composed spot-kick to level the match at 2-2.
The game took another dramatic turn when Khor Fakkan were reduced to 10 men in the 73rd minute as Abdalla Al Refaey was shown a red card.
Moroccan striker Tissoudali landed the decisive blow in the 81st minute to restore his team's advantage.
Following the defeat, Ammouta expressed his disappointment.
"We came with the ambition of winning the three points. We made costly mistakes and failed to deal well with the ball in key areas of the pitch, which allowed the opponent to launch counter-attacks from which they scored twice," Ammouta said.
"We also did not react well to the corner that led to the third goal."
Jazira had a challenging last season, finishing seventh in the UAE Pro League, though they did not end it empty-handed after they stunned Shabab Al Ahli at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium to win the ADIB League Cup in April.
It was the first silverware for the club since winning the Pro League in 2021. It was also the second time Jazira had won the competition after their triumph in the 2009/10 season.
Former Jordan coach Ammouta entered UAE football with a sparkling record. He guided the Jordanian national team to their first Asian Cup final in February 2024 after defeating Asian giants South Korea in the semis.
The result attracted the attention of the wider football world and Ammouta found his way back to the UAE. Duirng his playing days, Ammouta represented Sharjah in the 2002/03 season.
