The National’s Sport cover for the Wednesday, January 7 issue, featuring the foreign coaches who will lead sides at the 2015 Asian Cup.
Noting the typical turn to foreigners by Asian sides ahead of the continental showpiece, Ian Hawkey writes:
“Nine hired hands from outside Asia take on seven from the continent; that is the same breakdown as four years ago, though not many of the same individuals.
“Coaches come and go quickly in Asian international football, and it is easy to detect a repetitive cycle: a local coach fails, so the instinct is to recruit a foreign one.
“When the import then fails to meet expectations, shortcomings are blamed on a lack of understanding of local conditions and circumstances.”
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