Latest news with #Maaloul
Arab Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Arab Times
Qadsia appoints Maaloul as coach for the season
KUWAIT CITY, June 12: Al-Qadsiya Club has officially appointed Tunisian coach Nabil Maaloul to lead the first team for the 2025-2026 season, succeeding Montenegrin coach Zeljko Petrovic, who leaves after a disappointing campaign without silverware. Petrovic, who was signed last September to replace national coach Mohammed Al-Mashaan, following a mutual termination in August, failed to meet the club's expectations. Under his leadership, Qadsia: Lost the Super Cup final, exited the Crown Prince Cup in the semi-finals, finished third in the Zain Premier League, and settled for runner-up in the Gulf Champions League, following a 2-1 defeat to Iraq's Duhok in the second leg after a 1-1 draw in the first. Maaloul is set to begin his tenure in July, during which he will meet with club officials to lay out a comprehensive preparation plan for the new season and assess the squad's requirements. A seasoned tactician born in 1962, Maaloul brings with him a wealth of experience. His coaching résumé includes stints with Kuwait SC, Esperance de Tunis, Al-Jaish SC, Al-Duhail SC, USM Alger, and the national teams of Tunisia, Kuwait, and Syria. He is believed to have the backing of former club president Sheikh Talal Al-Fahad and will reportedly be granted full authority over the technical staff and foreign player selection, including decisions on contract renewals and releases. The current foreign lineup at Qadsia includes: Daniel Jibola (Nigeria), Mohamed Soula (Libya) Mehdi Berhama and Ismail Khafi (Morocco), Hussein Dhiri (Algeria) – whose contract was recently terminated. Both the Qadsia board and the club's passionate fanbase are placing high hopes on Maaloul to usher in a new era of success. The Yellows have endured a challenging spell in recent years, securing only five trophies in the last decade, including: Kuwait League title (2015-2016) Crown Prince Cup (2017-2018), Super Cup (2018, 2019), Amir's Cup (last season) With a legacy of success and a fresh mandate, Maaloul now faces the task of restoring Qadsia's place at the summit of Kuwaiti football.
Al-Ahram Weekly
04-02-2025
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Very close - Sports - Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt's Premier League continues to be close, with just one point separating first and second place, reports Alaa Abdel-Ghani After 11 games each, Pyramids have 24 points, Ahly 23 and Zamalek 20. Ceramica Cleopatra and Masri are in fourth and fifth place with 19 points each. Pyramids, who have never won the league title, stayed atop the standings following a 3-0 drubbing of Zamalek on Friday 31 January. It was only Pyramids second win over Zamalek in their previous 16 league meetings, dating from 2019. Defending champions Ahly stayed right behind Pyramids after a comfortable 3-1 win against Modern Sport FC on Sunday. Modern Sport have only seven points and are second to last in the 18-team table. Ahly's upcoming fixture is against sixth-place Petrojet on Thursday 6 February. Pyramids are scheduled to meet Smouha, in 13th place, on Friday 7 February while Zamalek clash with Ismaili, 14th, on the same day. During the week Ahly signed ex-Zamalek Moroccan forward Achraf Bencharki who could help them retain their league title. But they also lost stalwart Tunisian defender Ali Maaloul who will be hard to replace. Bencharki, who signed from the Qatari club Al-Rayyan, penned a 30-month contract reportedly worth $1.3 million a season. During his four years with Ahly's crosstown rivals Zamalek beginning in 2019, Bencharki, 30, scored 41 goals with 28 assists in 109 appearances. He helped the club win two Egyptian Premier League titles, two Egypt Cups, one Super Cup and a CAF Super Cup. The other North African, Maaloul, left Ahly after nine years. Since joining Ahly in the summer of 2016, Maaloul, 35, scored 51 goals and had 83 assists in 287 appearances. He had non-stop energy as he went up and down the field, stemming attacks and launching new ones. He collected 21 titles for Ahly, including four CAF Champions League trophies, six Egyptian Premier League championships and four Egypt Cup triumphs. Maaloul also represented Tunisia in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. * A version of this article appears in print in the 6 February, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link:
