U.A.E. Fires National Team Coach

The Football Association of the United Arab Emirates have sacked Srecko Katanec after opening the third round of AFC qualifying with two losses.

Katanec, a Slovenian who had been in charge of the side since June of 2009, had only won two of his last 11 games.

U.A.E. began the third round with a 3-2 home loss to Kuwait, and followed that with a shocking 3-1 defeat to Lebanon. They sit at the bottom of group B with four games to go and it is unlikely the team can advance to the next round.

Katanec, a former player for the Yugoslavian national team who made the 1990 World Cup squad, led the U.A.E. in the 2011 Asian Cup. The side finished bottom of group D, with a 0-0 draw against North Korea its only point.

The U.A.E. now has a month to search for a new coach to guide the national team, Fluminense coach Abel Braga is rumored to be the frontrunner for the job. U.A.E. resumes qualifying Oct. 11th in South Korea