Reinaldo Rueda remains the number one choice to become the next UAE coach, yet intractable timing problems concluding the deal have opened the door to outside candidates such as ex-Al Wasl supremo Gabriel Calderon and former Al Ittihad boss Raul Caneda.
Rueda, 60, has wowed the UAE Football Association with his tactical outlook, plus experience guiding Honduras and Ecuador all the way to the last two World Cups. But the Colombian feels he is duty bound to initially request a start date just after the Whites’ critical next tie on the Road to Russia, in Thailand on June 13, because Copa Libertadores holders Atletico Nacional have several important fixtures to fulfil.
His representative has been in Dubai since the weekend to conclude talks, with terms on a two-year offer worth $3.5 million – which includes all staffing costs – up until the 2019 Asian Cup in the UAE confirmed.
Yet no breakthrough has been made, despite the strong will of both parties to reach an agreement.
Paying the $500,000 penalty clause, if activated, to escape a Nacional contract which runs until December 2018 will not pose a problem.
The UAE FA want Mahdi Ali’s successor installed immediately, to allow for the requisite preparations ahead of their next competitive game. Victory is a must in Bangkok to keep slim hopes alive of a second-ever entry to the globe’s grandest football event.
With recently-dismissed Argentina boss Edgardo Bauza no longer a priority, Calderon is being considered once again as a back-up option.
🦁 | Iraq target Gabriel Calderon is in Doha for talks with @QSL outfit @QatarSportClub. 👇 https://t.co/Ja6gtx01HF
— Soccer Iraq (@SoccerIraq) April 30, 2017
The 57-year-old qualified Saudi Arabia to their last World Cup in 2006, before being impatiently dismissed six months before the tournament.
Further international stints were undertaken at Oman – whom he led at the 2007 Asian Cup – and Bahrain, from October 2012-August 2013.
The ex-Argentina midfielder has also enjoyed two spells in the Arabian Gulf League.
He led Bani Yas to the knockout stages of the AFC Champions League for the only time in 2012, plus laid the groundwork for Al Wasl’s current rise with a pair of successive sixth-placed finishes before his quarrelsome departure last May.
Highly-rated Spanish tactician Caneda – who possesses an offer from a UAE club for next season – received personal recommendations from esteemed Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola to secure successful periods in charge of Saudi Arabian giants Ittihad and Al Nassr.
His 25-match unbeaten run at the former from March-September 2012 is the longest in the club’s 90-year history.
The UAE are fourth with three games left in the third-and-final round of qualifying, one place and four points outside the advancement spots in Group B.
