Slovenian Milanic returns to coach Al-Wahda

Al Wahda Club announced the official contract with Slovenian coach Darko Milanic to lead the first team, replacing Portuguese coach Dimas Teixeira, who led “Al Annabi” temporarily, succeeding his compatriot Jose Moraes, after he moved to coach Sharjah Club.

Al-Wahda Company’s decision comes after the team’s unexpected exit from the quarter-finals of the President’s Cup, losing to United by four goals to two.

Milanic is considered one of the familiar coaching faces in Emirates football, having previously supervised Al Wahda’s training during the period from December 2024 until the end of last season, succeeding former Norwegian coach Ronnie Deila, in a career characterized by seeking to restore technical stability to the “Annabi” team.

Before assuming his last mission with Al Wahda, Milanic led Baniyas Club throughout the 2023-2024 season, and succeeded with the team in achieving tenth place in the league standings with 26 points, which contributed to consolidating his position as a coach familiar with the conditions of competition in the professional league.

Milanic is known for his long coaching experience that spanned many years on various continents, as he held coaching positions in Europe and Asia. During his coaching career, he supervised the training of several clubs, including Slovan Bratislava of Slovakia, and Anorthosis and Paphos of Cyprus. He also led Storm Graz of Austria, and coached Leeds United of England at one stage of his career, in addition to his experience with Partizan of Serbia, which gave him extensive tactical experience and the ability to deal with players of various nationalities.

Milanic’s return to Al-Wahda comes at a time when the club is seeking to restore its technical balance and results, after a series of fluctuations, relying on his experience in the professional league and his knowledge of the requirements of the local competition, in light of the aspirations of the management and fans to achieve positive results during the next stage.