A regular in the top division, Umm Salal’s best days were in 2008, when they won the Emir Cup, and in ’09, when they went on to finish third in the AFC Champions League. They performed below par last season and a change in the coaching role – with Spaniard Raul Caneda taking over – did not bring in the desired results. Caneda was retained for the new season but he was sacked after eight rounds, with Tunisian Ahmed El Abyad. Four foreign players – Jao Victor, Victor Vazquez, Yannick Sagbo and Mahmoud Al Mawas – have been retained for the season.
