DOHA: Former Egypt coach Hassan Shehata (pictured) has signed a one-year deal with Qatar Stars League (QSL) side Al Arabi, it was confirmed yesterday.
Shehata will manage Al Arabi until the end of the season, officially replacing outgoing coach Pierre Lechantre.
The Frenchman was fired by Al Arabi just three months into the new season.
Al Arabi Secretary General Dr Ahmed Al Emadi was present when the deal was signed.
A number of members of the board were also present, officials said. Shehata was in the dugout when Al Arabi played Umm Salal in their QNB Qatar Stars Cup match yesterday.
Currently, Al Arabi are in the eighth spot in the QSL standings after three rounds.
The fourth round kicks-off on October 20.
The Egyptian arrived in Doha on Tuesday along with his backroom staff team of Mohamed Wahba, Abdul Azahr Sakka and Ahmed Sulaiman.
“I am happy to be here,” Shehata said on his arrival.
“I did not hesitate for one minute to decide to come here when I heard Al Arabi was interested in signing me,” he added.
Shehata said he had worked as a coach in Oman and ‘hence knew what to expect in Doha’.
Recently Shehata was the head coach of the Zamalek SC, an Egyptian club.
He was the head coach Egyptian national team from 2004 to 2011. He led Egypt to three successive titles at the African Cup of Nations - in 2006, 2008 and 2010 - to become the first African nation to achieve this feat.
Shehata is the longest-serving coach in the Egyptian national team history.
The Peninsula
