The ‘Qatari Guardiola’ will take the reins of Al Rayyan’s sinking ship and will face his former side Al Arabi in his first game in charge.
Qatari football team Al Rayyan have appointed former Al Arabi coach Younes Ali as the new head coach for the remainder of the season.
The 41-year-old coach takes over from Swedish manager Poya Asbaghi at Al Rayyan, who was dismissed after a disappointing start to the season, leaving the team in eighth place in the Ooredoo Stars League with just six points from five matches.
The new coach has already had his first training session with the team, Al Rayyan confirmed, ahead of their crucial tie against arch-rivals Al Arabi.
Ali was recently let go by Al Arabi last week on “mutual consent” following a disappointing start that left the team winless in their first four games.
The former Qatari midfielder returns to Al Rayyan after 11 years, having previously represented the club as a player from 2007 to 2013.
Ali made 118 appearances and was on the scoresheet five times during his playing days at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
He is nicknamed “Guardiola” due to his resemblance to the Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, who played alongside Ali for two seasons at Al Ahli.
After retiring in 2017 from his boyhood club Al Ahli – where he spent seven formative years from 2000 to 2007 – Ali took charge of Al Markhiya and later had a year-long managerial stint at Qatar SC.
Ali won the Qatar Football Association’s Best Coach Award following the 2022/23 season after guiding Al Arabi to their first Amir Cup title in 30 years in 2023.
The side also went on to win the Qatar – UAE Super Cup under him earlier this year, defeating UAE’s Sharjah 1-0 at the Al Thumama Stadium.
Following the historic triumph, Al Arabi extended Ali’s contract for two additional seasons; however, it was cut short after a draw against Al Khor in the domestic league.
Former US national team interim head coach Anthony Hudson has since taken charge of Al Arabi and will face Ali’s Al Rayyan at the Al Thumama Stadium on Thursday.
