Mohammad Abdullah, Staff Reporter

In a bid to revive their faltering campaign, Ittihad Kalba have roped in Jorge da Silva as the head coach on a one-year deal on Saturday. He replaced Firas Jabbas, who was struggling to put the team back on track after two consecutive defeats at Arabian Gulf Cup (AGC). Kalba are at the bottom of their group in the AGC with just one point from three games. They got off to a stuttering start and were defeated by Al Nasr in the opening match of the tournament.

In the second round match, Al Dhafra piled more misery on Kalba, beating them 3-2, which left them point-less after two matches.

Kalba area also at the bottom of the Arabian Gulf League with three losses in as many games. They are yet to open their account in the league.

In the opening match of the 14-team league, they were beaten by Al Ain, which was followed by another loss against defending champions Sharjah.

To compound their problems, newly-promoted Hatta also defeated them 1-0. The biggest challenge for the new Argentine coach will be to end the skid and instil self-belief in the players. They desperately need a morale-boosting win to revive their campaign across all the competitions.

However the new coach said he was delighted to be part of the club and vowed to give his best to put their campaign back on track.

Meanwhile, Al Jazira FC has reached an agreement with Dutch coach Marcel Keizer to return as first team head coach on a two-year contract. He replaces Jurgen Streppel, who parted ways with the club this weekend.

“I would like to thank Jurgen for all of his commitment and work during his time with us,” said Ayed Mabkhout Al-Hajri, CEO of Al Jazira Football Company and a member of the board. “We wish him every success in the future.”

Keizer previously coached Al Jazira at the start of the 2018-19 season, registering five wins and four draws before moving to Sporting Lisbon. Whilst back in Europe with Sporting, he claimed the Portuguese Cup, the Portuguese League Cup and also ensured Europa League qualification.

“We are delighted to announce Marcel’s return to Al Jazira FC. He is a top class coach and his understanding of the local and regional championships here will be a big advantage to us. We wish him all the very best for a successful season ahead.”

Keizer is similarly upbeat upon his return to the helm at Al Jazira FC: “I am delighted to be back in the UAE and representing this great club.

“We will work hard in all competitions this season and we hope to give our fans plenty of excitement and entertainment along the way. I am looking forward to meeting up with the squad and I am excited about what we can achieve together.”

Al Jazira is well known for supporting the home-grown talents, and the club has the best football academy in the country; one of the academy top graduates is Ali Mabkhout, the historical goal scorer of Al Jazira, and the top scorer of the Asian Cup 2015.

Al Jazira Club has a rich and successful history, winning the Federation Cup in 2006, The Gulf Clubs Championship in 2007, and the Etisalat Cup in 2009-2010.  Al Jazira also clinched the Arabian Gulf League in 2011 and repeated the feat in 2017. Their three President’s Cup successes were achieved in 2011, 2012 and 2016, while they also finished fourth in the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup.