Dubai: The president of the UAE Football Association (UAE FA) Marwan Bin Ghalita has announced that a committee will be formed next week to appoint Mahdi Ali’s successor as UAE coach.

Ali resigned on Tuesday after The Whites’ 2-0 defeat to Australia in Sydney left their hopes of qualifying to the 2018 World Cup in huge doubt. The UAE now stand four points behind third-placed Australia with three games remaining, and only the top three go forward; the top two automatically, with the third placed team going into a cross continental play-off.

Names mooted to possibly succeed Ali include former Al Nasr coach Ivan Jovanovic, Al Ahli’s Cosmin Olaroiu and former Al Ain coach Zlatko Dalic. Al Wahda’s Javier Aguirre, formerly of Mexico and Japan, Al Jazira’s Henk ten Cate, an ex-assistant at both Chelsea and Barcelona, have also been mentioned along with former Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella, and ex Al Jazira coach Abel Braga. “We thank Mahdi Ali for everything he has done for the team,” said Bin Ghalita. “Australia is the end of his journey and we will now start building a new side.

“The new coach will be chosen through a team of experts with technical and managerial expertise, which will be formed next week.

“Mahdi had set a plan in place until 2019,” – when the UAE host the Asian Cup — “But it is now up to the new coach if he wants to stick with the programme or prepare a new one.” With World Cup qualifiers against Thailand, Saudi Arabia and Iraq still pending, Bin Ghalita added: “It will also be up to him to choose new players or give opportunity to new faces [in those games] so he has more options in the next phase.”

Time to change

Meanwhile, UAE striker Ahmad Khalil, said it was time to ‘change and develop’.

“Mahdi didn’t tell us he was going to resign and if he sees it as the right decision that’s up to him.

“The opportunity is still there and we shouldn’t give up. We still have three games to win and do all we can,” he added. Of his fitness, he said: “I wasn’t ready to play and was surprised to make the starting line-up. This isn’t the first time I’ve been picked without being completely ready.”

Ali had also alluded to these exact same difficulties in his post-match resignation.

“We don’t have such a big number of players in our selection. I’m not exaggerating, but I think its 87 players.

“If you lose a player it’s difficult to find another. In this condition, and with the league we have, it’s very difficult to play such big teams. I think this is the maximum we can do.”