Holleman to train Al Shabab

Gulf News - Al Shabab Club have signed up German coach Rainer Holleman as their senior football team coach until the end of the current season (2002-03).This was stated by Yousuf Ozair the Al Shabab football manager.

"We signed up with Holleman as we need, in this difficult period, a coach who knows the UAE football and had worked before with the UAE First Division clubs. We hope Holleman, with his vast experience, could help our team to overcome this hard times and help us return to winning ways," Ozair told Gulf News yesterday.

Holleman, who arrived in Dubai yesterday, signed the contract with the club's board in the evening. Some sources claimed that the German coach will get $15,000 as monthly salary without signing fee.

Worth mentioning, Holleman last week visited Dubai to negotiate the deal with the Al Shabab board. But they could not reach an agreement. However, the Al Shabab contacted other coaches, but most of them asked for higher pays and signing fees.

The German coach succeeded Romanian coach Gregory, who was appointed at the end of last season, but sacked last month following the team's dismal run in the First Division league.

Al Shabab reserve team coach and former skipper Hasan Ali took care of the team in the last two matches against Sharjah and Al Shaab in the absence of Gregory.

Holleman is likely to face a difficult task in the coming period as Al Shabab, who are lying at the bottom of the table with two points from seven matches, have drawn two matches and lost five.

The loss against Al Shaab last week made the Al Shabab board hurry to sign up Holleman. The next league match for Al Shabab will be against Al Wahda in Abu Dhabi, which is not easy despite the fact that Al Shabab have always surprised Al Wahda at their home ground.

Last season Al Shabab beat Al Wahda in Abu Dhabi 1-0 and that win denied them of winning the league title.

This is not the first time for Holleman to coach a First Division team in the UAE. Last season he trained Al Shaab before he was sacked in the middle of the season.

In the 1999-2000 season he trained Al Nasr and led them to win the FA Cup, runners-up in the league and semifinalists in the President's Cup.

After Al Nasr he trained Kuwait Club of Kuwait in the 2000-01 season where he led them to win the league title in Kuwait. Holleman also has coached the Al Ahli Club of Egypt, he led them to win the league title thrice.