JEDDAH, 2 June 2007 — Al-Ahli football club signed German coach Theo Bucker from Wehda to a contract for $450,000 next season. He inherits a job formerly held by Serbian Nebusha who quit the club after his demand for a salary raise was rejected.
Bucker led Wehda to a very successful season that was capped by a Final Four spot in the King’s Cup. Wehda eliminated defending champions Al-Shabab in the first stepladder match after beating the team 2-1 in Makkah but then lost the second stepladder against Al-Ittihad last week in Jeddah 3-2 after a marathon match which ended 2-2 in the regulation period and the winning goal scored in the second extra time.
Bucker said in a press conference that took place at Ahli headquarters that he had beautiful memories with Wehda club and the only reason that he could not continue with Wehda was because he was living in Jeddah and traveling every day 200 kilometers to Makkah. He said that if that problem was solved, he would have continued with Wehda. Ahli club president Ahmad Al-Marzooki and football team supervisor Wajdi Al-Taweel attended the press conference.
Bucker praised Ahli’s performance this season when Ahli emerged as Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Cup and Crown Prince Cup champions.
He said, “I am not going to criticize Ahli’s performance last year but the real test is in the King’s Cup. Ahli’s performance was not satisfactory and in order to win the King’s Cup we need the whole club to unite from the management and players and all the way to the coach.”
Bucker refused to be drawn into comparison with the former Ahli coach saying that each coach has his own way of coaching and that Nebusha’s achievement would never have taken place were it not for the continuous support from the club. He said, “As for the professional players, the Tunisian defender Khaled Badra has a very strong personality as a team leader and the Brazilian international player Kaio is also a good player. The third professional player is going to be a high level player.”
