Rui Faria unveiled as new coach of Duhail

Rui Faria said yesterday he did not seek advice from Jose Mourinho before deciding to take his first head coach job at Qatar Stars League side Al Duhail. The man who was Mourinho’s assistant for 17 years at some of the world’s biggest clubs was officially unveiled at a press conference as Duhail’s new coach on a one-and-a-half year contract.
It is the 43-year-old’s first job since leaving Manchester United, as Mourinho’s number two, last year.
“No, I didn’t seek an opinion from Jose, this was my decision,” Faria told reporters. Faria was assistant for Mourinho at clubs including Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid and Manchester United over 17 years. He surprisingly called time on their partnership last year at Old Trafford. Mourinho’s troubled spell as the Old Trafford boss ended last month.
Faria would not be drawn on his time at Manchester United, but asked if he would have difficulty adjusting to life in the Qatar Stars League, after working at stadiums such as the Bernabeu and San Siro, Faria, 43, said it would not be a problem. “Motivation is something that you have or you don’t have,” he said. “The reality is that I thought this would be a very good option for me. I am 100 per cent motivated to do the best job I can.”
Faria replaces Nabil Maaloul, who was the coach of the Tunisian national side at the World Cup last year in Russia. Maaloul abruptly left the club earlier this month after the team was knocked out of the Asian Champions League at the quarter-final stage.
Khalifa Khamis, Duhail’s vice-president said the club’s ambition was to win the AFC Champions League. Duhail, the current champions, stand second in the Qatari league, two points behind Al Sadd with seven games left.