Abdulaziz Al Anbari signs his new contract in the presence of club officials.

Once again the defending champions Sharjah exuded their confidence in Abdulaziz Al Anbari and handed the title-winning coach an extension of two years on Thursday.

His appointment did not come as a surprise as Sharjah had already announced the extension of Anbari following the drama of signing and termination of the contract of Rodolfo Arruabarrena, who was the coach of Shabab Al Ahli last season.

Arruabarrena was signed by Sharjah for a brief period during the lockdown but his contract was terminated before he could take charge of the team for a single match to reinstate Anbari at the helm.

The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Ali Salem Al Midfa, Chairman of the Sharjah Sports Club; Abdullah Mohammed Al Ajlah, Member of the Sharjah Sports Club and  the President of the Sharjah Football Team.

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After completing the signing procedures, Anbari thanked the administration for showing their faith in him, he said: “I thank Midfa and Ajlah for renewing my contract and putting their confidence in me.”

After expressing his gratitude to God, Anbari attributed the successes achieved with the team to the great support of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah and his wife Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Muhammad Al Qasimi and the support of the Board of Directors and the fans. He wished for more victories next season with the club.

“First of all, I must thank the club for the opportunity that they gave me as a coach and allowed me to train the team. I also want to thank them for their unwavering support to me.

“I want to express my sincerest thanks to everyone, who worked with him at this club. My ambition, like any other coach, is to seek the best and achieve success in my profession. I strive hard for the success at the club and hope God blesses us,” said Anbari.

On the future of the Sharjah team, Anbari commented: “We have signed several players, both local and foreigners, to bolster the squad.

“We are still discussing with the management to rope in some more foreign players. I hope these players will further strengthen the squad both in domestic and continental competitions,” he added.

Anbari also praised the current players in the squad for their commitment both on and off the pitch. He also wished them success in the next season and vowed to continue to bring smile on the faces of the fans.

Sharjah had won the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) title in 2018-19 season. But after the last season was suspended due to coronavirus, the UAE Pro League committee decided to abort both the coronation and relegation for the season, which left Sharjah as the defending champions for another year.

When the league was stopped, Shabab Al Ahli were at the top of the standings with 43 points while Sharjah were at the fifth spot with 35 points. Sharjah had a tremendous start to the season as they remained unbeaten in the first nine games before going winless in the next five games because of the absence of some of the frontline players.

However, they had started getting the momentum back when the tournament ground to a halt due to the pandemic.

Earlier, Anbari took over the reins of the team in October 2017 from Jose Peseiro in the fifth week of the AGL after a faltering start, in which the club had to face a series of defeats.

Soon after taking charge in the first game, Anbari helped the team to end the skid and earn their first win of the season. After he took over in the mid-term, Sharjah finished sixth in the AGL in his first season with five losses, eight wins and five draws.

In the second season, Anbari led the team to the AGL title after a gap of 23 years.

Anbari has the distinction of winning the AGL title with Sharjah both as a player and as a coach as he was also a part of the Sharjah team, who won the AGL title back in 1996.

In 2018-19, Anbari also won the award for the Best Coach of the season, surpassing 13 foreign coaches, who were more experienced.

He also won the Arab Gulf Super Cup at the beginning of the 2019-2020 season when his team defeated Shabab Al Ahli at the Al Maktoum Stadium in September.