Gulf News - Al Shabab Club have signed up
German coach Rainer Holleman as their senior football team coach until the
end of the current season (2002-03).This was stated by Yousuf Ozair the Al
Shabab football manager.
"We signed up with Holleman as we need, in this difficult period, a
coach who knows the UAE football and had worked before with the UAE First
Division clubs. We hope Holleman, with his vast experience, could help our
team to overcome this hard times and help us return to winning ways,"
Ozair told Gulf News yesterday.
Holleman, who arrived in Dubai yesterday, signed the contract with the
club's board in the evening. Some sources claimed that the German coach
will get $15,000 as monthly salary without signing fee.
Worth mentioning, Holleman last week visited Dubai to negotiate the deal
with the Al Shabab board. But they could not reach an agreement. However,
the Al Shabab contacted other coaches, but most of them asked for higher
pays and signing fees.
The German coach succeeded Romanian coach Gregory, who was appointed at
the end of last season, but sacked last month following the team's dismal
run in the First Division league.
Al Shabab reserve team coach and former skipper Hasan Ali took care of the
team in the last two matches against Sharjah and Al Shaab in the absence
of Gregory.
Holleman is likely to face a difficult task in the coming period as Al
Shabab, who are lying at the bottom of the table with two points from
seven matches, have drawn two matches and lost five.
The loss against Al Shaab last week made the Al Shabab board hurry to sign
up Holleman. The next league match for Al Shabab will be against Al Wahda
in Abu Dhabi, which is not easy despite the fact that Al Shabab have
always surprised Al Wahda at their home ground.
Last season Al Shabab beat Al Wahda in Abu Dhabi 1-0 and that win denied
them of winning the league title.
This is not the first time for Holleman to coach a First Division team in
the UAE. Last season he trained Al Shaab before he was sacked in the
middle of the season.
In the 1999-2000 season he trained Al Nasr and led them to win the FA Cup,
runners-up in the league and semifinalists in the President's Cup.
After Al Nasr he trained Kuwait Club of Kuwait in the 2000-01 season where
he led them to win the league title in Kuwait. Holleman also has coached
the Al Ahli Club of Egypt, he led them to win the league title thrice. |