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Adnan Hamad, the kingdom’s newly-appointed national football team coach, hopes his experience in the region will help steer the squad to victory in a series of crucial competitions.
The 52-year-old former Iraqi national striker and coach signed on with the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) in August after promising British coach Anthony Hudson, 33, suddenly walked away from the post to take over the reins of New Zealand’s national team.
The dramatic turn of events kicked-off in July after the BFA and coach Hudson had set a plan of action to secure gold in both the 2014 Gulf Cup of Nations tournament held in November in Saudi Arabia and the challenging 2015 AFC Asian Cup finals staged in Australia in January.
According to BFA president Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, the programme was ready by the end of April and the team was prepared for the whole year in terms of training schedules and friendly fixtures.
The BFA board of directors had insisted on having an early plan of action so that the coach was settled but then Hudson upped and left and the BFA had a legal case on their hands instead of a settled path to success.
It’s the second time New Zealand has landed a sucker punch on Bahrain’s footballing aspirations. Fans will not forget how the Kiwis edged out the kingdom from a first appearance in the FIFA World Cup Finals four years ago by a solitary goal in the return leg of a play-off to reach South Africa. A draw would have taken the country through and agonisingly they missed an all-important penalty during the match after a goalless draw, and numerous missed chances to score a winner, at the National Stadium in Riffa.
When GulfWeekly recently made contact with Hudson he explained that he has been busy with his new team and that ‘there is still legal stuff going on so I can’t say too much’.
Despite the sudden change in circumstances, the BFA acted swiftly and appointed experienced coach Hamad to steer the ship through stormy waters. He was a man the committee had kept a close eye on for several years and, under the circumstances, it was a case of right time, right place.
However, he’s much more than a safe pair of hands and is convinced he is up to finishing the job Hudson started. Coach Hamad explained: “In football, coaches can leave at any time so players come to terms with things like this rather quickly. Since my former teams have played against Bahrain over the years in competitions, all the players know who I am and we respect one another.
“Frankly, the Bahrain team has always been on my mind. The players are talented. They have a passion for the game and a desire to work hard as well as the facilities and support to back them up. With that, they have the grounds for success which gives every coach the motivation to take on a challenge such as this.
“My ambition, just like the federation’s, is to achieve great things with the Bahrain team, particularly in the Gulf Cup and 2015 AFC Asian Cup which are both big tournaments for us.”
The biennial Gulf Cup of Nations will be held from November 13 to 26 in Riyadh. Bahrain is in Group A along with two-time winners Qatar, Yemen and the host nation Saudi Arabia who have lifted the trophy three times. Bahrain were runners-up in 1970, 1982, 1992 and 2003 and supporters would love to see them take that extra step to glory.
Meanwhile, the soccer world will soon be focusing on Down Under for the contest organised by the Asian Football Confederation January 9 to 31. The winners of the tournament will earn the right to compete for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, which is to be hosted by Russia.
Bahrain are in Group C along with Iran, UAE and Qatar. The kingdom made its debut in the AFC Asian Cup Finals at the 1988 tournament in Qatar and finished bottom of their group following draws with Kuwait and eventual champions Saudi Arabia.
After 16 years, the kingdom claimed a semi-final slot at the 2004 tournament in China, where they edged out Uzbekistan on penalties in the quarter finals and eventually finished fourth after losing a third-place play-off 4-2 to Iran.
In 2007, they were defeated by Saudi Arabia as well as co-host Indonesia which left them bottom of their group despite a win over Korea.
At the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, Bahrain were placed with Australia, Korea Republic and India. Despite beating India 4-1, they finished a disappointing third behind eventual finalists Australia and Korea who both claimed victories over Bahrain by single goal margins.
Bahrain, however, dominated their qualifying group for the 2015 tournament, securing a fourth consecutive AFC Asian Cup Finals appearance with two games to spare.
In preparation for the upcoming tournaments, Bahrain will play a friendly against Uzbekistan on Friday and the coach’s former team Iraq the following Tuesday.
Coach Hamad said: “When I coached Iraq and Jordan, my squads played against Uzbekistan several times. From what I have observed, they are an advanced team because their federation has invested in them.
“As for Iraq, they have always been a great team. They have a huge football history and a large following which helps in building a great team.
“These friendlies, as well as their regular games in the VIVA League, will be great to set the pace for our players. I have high expectations for the team.”
Coach Hamad started his career as a striker playing for various clubs and the national team in Iraq before earning his coaching credentials. He started off by managing his home club Samarra in a player-coach role in the 1992-93 season. During this time he still managed to score 33 goals for the club.
He later became the coach of Al-Zawraa and was appointed assistant coach of the Iraq National Football Team under Yahya Alwan during the 1996 AFC Asian Cup Finals.
Coach Hamad spent time in Europe studying coaching techniques before being snapped up by Dubai SC. By that time he had received a masters and doctorate in football.
He first coached the Iraq National Team in February 2000 and led the team to a credible third place at the 2000 West Asian Football Federation Championship in Jordan.
His third period as coach of Iraq came in 2002 when he helped his country to the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Championship win in Syria with a dramatic 3-2 win over Jordan in extra-time.
In 2004, he was voted AFC Coach of the Year. His first experiences with Jordanian football players took place as he was coaching top Jordan football club Al-Faisaly from 2006-2008 and achieved impressive results with that team as well.
After helping Jordan qualify for their second Asian Cup tournament, Qatar 2011, coach Hamad began preparations for the Jordan National Team in September 2010, when they had the 2010 WAFF Championship hosted in Jordan.
He also helped Jordan make the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup and made history when he also helped Jordan qualify for the final round of World Cup qualifications in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) campaign. Unfortunately, the Jordanians missed their very first FIFA World Cup debut after losing 5-0 against the formidable Uruguayan team.
Coach Hamad also helped Jordan to win second place in the 2011 Pan Arab Games in Qatar. In 2014, he was appointed to coach Baniyas in the UAE Arabian Gulf League before joining the kingdom’s national endeavours.
