United Arab Emirates national team coach Ivan Jovanovic has been fired before taking charge of a single game, according to Middle East news outlet The National.
The former APOEL and Al-Nasr coach initially signed a six-month contract in December after replacing boss Bert Van Maarwijk in the role as national team boss.
The UAE is in Group G of 2022 World Cup qualifying, lumped in with Southeast Asian sides Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The West Asian side find themselves in fourth place after picking up six points from four matches, behind Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam in what is shaping up to be a very difficult group.
Jovanovic was preparing to face Malaysia last month before taking on Thailand and Indonesia in June, but those games have since been postponed due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
The UAE Football Association is now in the hunt for a new coach who can turn their apparent crisis situation around and guide them through to the next round of World Cup qualification.