Former Senegal and United Arab
Emirates coach Bruno Metsu has replaced the sacked Diego
Maradona in charge of Al Wasl, the Dubai-based club said on
Tuesday.
Argentina World Cup winner Maradona, 51, was sacked last
week with a year left on his two-year contract following a
trophy-less season for Al Wasl.
"More details will be revealed in the press conference that
will be held in the coming days to officially unveil coach Metsu
as head coach," said a club statement released on Twitter, which
also said Frenchman Metsu, 58, had signed a two-year contract.
Maradona was axed after Al Wasl finished in eighth place in
the 12-team UAE Pro League, a drop of two places from their
previous season's finish.
The club failed to make an impression in either of the two
domestic cup competitions and did not qualify for next season's
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League.
Al Wasl did reach the final of the Gulf Champions League
but, after holding a 3-1 first-leg lead against Bahrain side Al
Muharraq, lost the second leg at home by the same margin, had
two players sent off during that match and lost the title in a
penalty shoot-out.
Metsu coached the UAE to victory in the 2007 Gulf Cup during
a three-year spell in charge, and also coached Senegal at the
2002 World Cup, where they beat world champions France 1-0 in
the tournament's opening match en route to the quarter-finals.
Metsu is also the only coach to have taken a UAE side to
victory in the AFC Champions League, doing so with Al Ain in
2003.
He has been out of work since being sacked by Qatar side Al
Gharafa in March 2012.
Following Maradona's dismissal, Al Wasl invited him back to
the UAE for a farewell ceremony to "reflect the unique and
strong relationship" between the club and its former coach.
"There is no information yet on whether or not he will be coming and no information on his arrival," a
spokesman for the public relations company acting on behalf of
the club told Reuters on Tuesday.
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