Soccer-Qatar appoint Uruguayan Carreno as new head coach

May 8, 2015 3:07 AM

DOHA, May 8 (Reuters) - Qatar have appointed Uruguayan Jose Daniel Carreno as their new head coach to steer them through the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, the Asian Football Confederation said on Friday.

The former striker had been in charge of Qatar Stars League outfit Al Arabi this term after winning the Saudi league and cup double with Al-Nassr last year.

He succeeds Algerian Djamel Belmadi, who was sacked last month after a winless group stage exit at the Asian Cup in January.

Carreno is charged with leading Qatar to a first World Cup finals ahead of the Gulf state staging the tournament in 2022.

Qatar have been drawn in Group C of the joint qualifying tournament for Russia 2018 and the 2019 Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates, which starts next month, alongside China, Hong Kong, Bhutan and Maldives.

Lebanon have also made a coaching change ahead of the qualifying campaign with Montenegrin Miodrag Radulovic tasked with leading the West Asians after replacing Italian Giuseppe Giannini.

Lebanon, the surprise package in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers after making it through to the final stages for the first time, are in Group G along with South Korea, Myanmar, Laos and Kuwait.

Radulovic has twice coached club sides in Kuwait, who are expected to challenge Lebanon for the runners-up spot in the pool behind the Koreans. (Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore; Editing by Peter Rutherford)