Oman head coach Rasheed Jaber has called on the region’s football associations to show more faith in Arab coaches ahead of the 26th Gulf Cup final against Bahrain in Kuwait tonight.
Jaber has proved his worth as a master tactician in plotting the downfall of the likes of Qatar and Saudi Arabia during a pulsating two-week tournament.
His chargers won Group A and remain unbeaten, but the discussion around foreign coaches was raised at the eve-of-final Press conference.
“I don’t think there is enough trust for the Arabic managers,” said Jaber. “They (football associations) need to focus on them and change.
“Twenty-five years ago, there were great Arabic managers who made great results, and I think there should be more opportunities for more managers from their countries.”
Historically, there is very little between the teams going into the final, with Oman winning 12 times and Bahrain winning 11. Seventeen meetings have been drawn, but Oman reached the final last time out and are confident of adding to their two previous Gulf titles.
“We respect Bahrain – they are a strong team and have played well here,” said Jaber. “Our preparation has been good. Most of the time has been spent on rehabilitation because this is the end of a tough schedule. This is the end of the tournament, so we need the reward with a positive result.”
Mandhar Al Alawi will miss the match after the red card received in the semi-final victory over Saudi, but central defender Mohammed Al Musalami is confident his teammates are well-placed to become champions at an expected sold-out Jaber International Stadium.
“Most of our players played in Iraq at the last tournament, so we have the experience of playing in a final, but we don’t have the feeling to win a final, which is what we must do tomorrow night,” he said.
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