Zoran Mamic has been confirmed as Al Ain’s new manager after finalising a deal to succeed Zlatko Dalic at the club.
The Croat, who on Friday announced his decision to step down as manager of Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, agreed terms on his contract — believed to be 18 months — with the signing announced by the club on Wednesday. It is understood his backroom staff had already travelled to the UAE.
Mamic, 45, replaces compatriot Dalic, who left Al Ain last week following a run of three Arabian Gulf League matches without a victory. The poor sequence of results left the club third in the table, seven points adrift of leaders Al Jazira with 11 rounds remaining. However, Saturday night's victory against champions Al Ahli moved Al Ain back into second place.
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Mamic therefore takes the reins of a team buoyed by a turnaround in fortunes, with the 2016 Asian Champions League runners-up beginning their 2017 continental campaign on February 21. A former Croatia international defender, he led Dinamo Zagreb to three successive top-flight titles from 2014 before moving last summer to Nassr.
Mamic guided the Riyadh club to fourth in the Saudi Pro League and had only recently signed an one-year extension to his contract. Yet he cited family reasons for accepting the opportunity to join Al Ain.
The 12-time UAE champions originally offered short-term deals to a number of managers with Arabian Gulf League experience, including Ivan Jovanovic, Jorge Da Silva and Gabriel Calderon. Da Silva, the former Baniyas manager, was closest to taking the job. Mamic will be presented to the media at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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