QFA appoints Serbian Rajevac new football coach

Qatar Football Association (QFA) appointed Serbian Milovan Rajevac as the new coach of its national team here Sunday. The 57-year-old coach replaces Frenchman Bruno Metsu who lost the top job after Qatar was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup held here last month.

QFA President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmad Al Thani announced the appointment of Rajevac for a three-year term up to 2014 at a media conference held at QFA headquarters on Sunday. “We are pleased to announce Milovan Rajevac as Qatar’s coach, said Sheikh Hamad. “He has done very well with Ghana and we are confident Qatar will do well under him”.

“I ‘m pleased to take up the Qatar offer,” Rajevac said. “Qatar will host the World Cup in 2022 and it will be an honour to work here.” Rajevac, who had led Ghana to the final of 2010 African Cup of Nations where his team lost to Egypt 1-0, quit the manager’s post last September and joined Saudi Arabian club Al Ahli for a short tenure. He resigned from the club last week. Rajevac played as a defender for Red Star Belgrade and New York Arrows before coaching several teams in his country.

He guided a number of clubs in his native Serbia, including Sloboda Uzice, Red Star Belgrade, Vojvodina and Borac Cacak. The Serbian coach was offered the top job by Ghana in 2008. Ghana lost to Uruguay in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup last year.