ABU DHABI // Josef Hickersberger, who led Al Wahda to the Pro League title, left because he wanted the club to double his salary, according to Khaled Awadh, the deputy chief executive officer.
The revelation comes after Hickersberger said on Monday that the club had being unwilling to extend his contract.
"We were happy to continue with him after leading us to the league title, but his demands were pretty high and we know the reason. It is because he had already signed with the Qatari club Al Sadd," said Awadh.
Al Sadd won their domestic league for the 11th time this season yet failed to go beyond the group stage of the Asian Champions League under Cosmin Olaroiu, their Romanian coach.
Hickersberger "didn't want to stay as he already had a contract signed, so he put up a sum that meant we couldn't keep him", Awadh said. "This is not unusual from a coach after having success with a team. But our plans for next season and the Club World Cup will remain the same with whoever takes charge."
Laszlo Boloni, the Romanian who led Al Jazira to second place in the league in 2007-2008, has emerged as a leading candidate after Sheikh Saeed bin Zayed, the Wahda chairman, named him as a possible replacement for Hickersberger.
Boloni resigned from Standard Liege, the Belgian club, in February and has also been linked with Hajduk Split, the Croatian side.
Awadh said: "Boloni's name was mentioned by the club chairman but nothing has been finalised. Obviously finding a replacement for Hickersberger is now the priority and the technical committee will come up with some names soon. I can't say Boloni is a candidate as of now."
Joining Hickersberger in leaving the club is Pinga, the Brazilian midfielder. He declined a two-year extension to his contract in favour of a move to Al Ahli, the Dubai club who won the league in 2008-09.
"We offered him a two-year contract but he also wanted more money along with a three-year contract," said Awadh without revealing the sum Pinga had demanded. "Pinga has done a good job for us in the past, but we made him an offer and it was up to him to accept it or not.
"These matters are not new for us. We will go about doing our business to find suitable replacements to prepare for an important season ahead. The coming season is going to be a lot different and our approach will not just be about retaining the league title.
"It is a difficult task when you have to concentrate in three domestic competitions, the Club World Cup (CWC) and the Asian Champions League. The CWC will be on top of our agenda as we will be carrying the hopes of a nation."
@Email:apassela@thenational.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
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Emirates airline – 600555555
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Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
The specs
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Emiratisation at work
Emiratisation was introduced in the UAE more than 10 years ago
It aims to boost the number of citizens in the workforce particularly in the private sector.
Growing the number of Emiratis in the workplace will help the UAE reduce dependence on overseas workers
The Cabinet in December last year, approved a national fund for Emirati jobseekers and guaranteed citizens working in the private sector a comparable pension
President Sheikh Khalifa has described Emiratisation as “a true measure for success”.
During the UAE’s 48th National Day, Sheikh Khalifa named education, entrepreneurship, Emiratisation and space travel among cornerstones of national development
More than 80 per cent of Emiratis work in the federal or local government as per 2017 statistics
The Emiratisation programme includes the creation of 20,000 new jobs for UAE citizens
UAE citizens will be given priority in managerial positions in the government sphere
The purpose is to raise the contribution of UAE nationals in the job market and create a diverse workforce of citizens
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