Abdullah Misfir, the former UAE coach, will be in charge of Dibba Al Fujairah for the remainder of the season after the newly promoted Pro League club parted company with Marcelo Cabo.
The 45-year-old Brazilian paid the price for the team's poor start to the season and their 5-1 defeat to the champions Al Ain on Sunday was the final straw.
Misfir, an Emirati, has twice been the caretaker coach of the UAE national team, most recently following Srecko Katanec’s dismissal last September during the country’s 2014 Word Cup qualifications campaign.
"After evaluating the team’s performances we decided to terminate the services of Cabo," Mohammed Hassan Al Dhanhani, the chairman of the club’s board of directors, told the Dubai Sports Channel.
"We didn’t arrive at this conclusion after the result against Al Ain but all the past results put together.
"It was a decision we had to make early while we still have a chance to remain in the top flight.
"Abdullah has been appointed as the new coach for the rest of the season. He knows the players well and we are hopeful he can lead the team to better results."
Cabo was still speaking of the team’s future when he appeared at the post-match press conference on Sunday, but early yesterday morning took to Twitter to confirm he was no longer in charge at Dibba, and that he was looking for a new direction in his career.
The newly promoted club have also to play their home games in Al Ain, making a six-hour round journey of more than 400 kilometres and play matches without any of their fans.
Dibba have just one point from a scoreless draw against Dubai in the opening night of the Pro League but have lost the next three to Al Dhafra 2-1, Al Shaab 5-3 and Al Ain 5-1. They also lost both their matches in the Etisalat Cup.
Dragan Talajic, the Kalba coach, was the first to lose his job following poor results. He was replaced by Lotfi Benzarti, the former coach of Baniyas and Sharjah, but the club has not won in three games under the Tunisian.
Last season, half of the coaches from the 12 Pro League clubs were dismissed.
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