Qatar appoint Musovic as coach

AFC - Bosnian Dzemaluddin Musovic has been appointed as the replacement for Frenchman Philippe Troussier as coach of the Qatar national team.

An assistant to coach Ivica Osim with Yugoslavia’s 1990 World Cup squad, Musovic has been given a one-year contract by the Qatar Football Association to attempt to restore their fortunes after a dreadful recent run that has seen them struggle in the World Cup 2006 qualifiers and finish bottom of their group at the Asian Cup last month.

Troussier parted ways with Qatar after their shock 2-1 defeat to Indonesia in their opening match and was temporarily replaced by Saeed Al Misned, who led the Qataris to a 1-1 draw with eventual semi-finalists Bahrain and a 1-0 loss to hosts and eventual finalists China.

Musovic will have a good knowledge of his charges in the Qatar team, having worked as a club coach in the Gulf nation for the past 12 years.

“The team's confidence is at a low ebb after their humiliating performance in the Asian Cup,” said Musovic to Reuters.

“But having been in Qatar for more than 12 years I know the psychology of most of the players and I am confident I can raise the level of their confidence.”

Qatar will meet Laos in the World Cup qualifiers on September 8 although their hopes of qualifying for Germany are slim following defeats to Iran and Jordan in earlier Group 1 matches.