Bert van Marwijk's immediate future remains with the UAE following a meeting with the Football Association to discuss the national team’s disappointing World Cup campaign.
The Dutchman’s position had been subject to much speculation following last week’s 2-2 draw with Iraq in Dubai. The result, coming five days after the 1-0 defeat to Iran, extended the UAE’s winless start to the final round to four matches.
As such, Van Marwijk’s side sit fourth in Group A, five points off the two automatic spots for Qatar 2022 and two behind Lebanon in third. Third place does provide a route to the global finals, albeit through a sequence of play-offs.
In his second stint as UAE manager, Van Marwijk met with the FA’s board of directors on Monday at their headquarters in Dubai, where he put forward his reasoning for the frustrating run of results.
Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, the FA president, told reporters following the meeting that Van Marwijk’s dismissal was not discussed, adding that the get-together was simply to assess the national team's poor form.
Last Thursday, Sheikh Rashid reiterated his support for the team and called on supporters to get behind the players in their bid to turn around the campaign.
Seeking to reach only a second World Cup in the country’s history, the UAE have drawn three and lost one of their four final-round fixtures, scoring three goals. Against Iraq, they needed an injury-time strike from Ali Mabkhout to rescue the point at the Zabeel Stadium.
The national team are next in action away to South Korea on November 11 before facing Lebanon away five days later. Currently, Iran and South Korea occupy the top two positions in Group A, with 10 points and eight points, respectively.
Van Marwijk, 69, was reappointed as UAE manager last December, almost one year since his previous tenure ended after nine months.
A World Cup runner-up in 2010 with the Netherlands, he masterminded Saudi Arabia’s qualification for the 2018 global finals. However, Van Marwijk did not take charge of the team for the tournament in Russia.
Other key dates
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Finals draw: December 2
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Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
BRIEF SCORES
England 353 and 313-8 dec
(B Stokes 112, A Cook 88; M Morkel 3-70, K Rabada 3-85)
(J Bairstow 63, T Westley 59, J Root 50; K Maharaj 3-50)
South Africa 175 and 252
(T Bavuma 52; T Roland-Jones 5-57, J Anderson 3-25)
(D Elgar 136; M Ali 4-45, T Roland-Jones 3-72)
Result: England won by 239 runs
England lead four-match series 2-1
SCORES
Multiply Titans 81-2 in 12.1 overs
(Tony de Zorzi, 34)
bt Auckland Aces 80 all out in 16 overs
(Shawn von Borg 4-15, Alfred Mothoa 2-11, Tshepo Moreki 2-16).
WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS
England v New Zealand
(Saturday, 12pm UAE)
Wales v South Africa
(Sunday, 12pm, UAE)
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How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Ahmed Raza, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Chirag Suri , Zahoor Khan
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
