Abdullah Misfir, the former UAE and Jordan national team manager, has been named as Diego Maradona’s initial successor at Fujairah.
The Emirati, who has also managed club sides Dibba Al Fujairah, Al Dhafra and Baniyas, has been given a short-term contract and handed the task of negotiating next week’s play-off against Hatta, with the winner sealing a spot in the Arabian Gulf League next season.
Fujairah failed to gain automatic promotion last week, when they drew their final fixture of the 2017/18 First Division campaign to finish third. Maradona parted company with the club hours after the match, much to everyone's surprise, before Fujairah announced on Monday that the Argentine had been reinstated on a new one-year deal. However, Maradona's representatives claimed no agreement had been made.
Then, on Thursday, Fujairah released a statement accusing the former World Cup winner of going back on his word and demanding four times the value of his original contract. The club said negotiations were therefore finished. Maradona, 57, was appointed last May.
Misfir will now attempt to guide Fujairah into the UAE top flight. The east-coast club face Hatta across two legs, on Wednesday and the following Sunday. Hatta concluded this season’s Arabian Gulf League at the bottom of the table.
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Read more:
Fujairah timeline: From shock unveiling to departure by 'mutual agreement'
Diego Maradona's exit from Fujairah was mutually agreed on, says lawyer
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