Marco Cesar Pereira Alves

KUWAIT CITY, July 9: Al-Arabi Club has officially appointed Portuguese coach Marco Cesar Pereira Alves to lead the club’s first football team as preparations begin for the upcoming 2025–2026 season.

Alves replaces Nasser Al-Shatti, the Kuwaiti coach who led Al-Arabi for two consecutive seasons. Despite notable achievements — including finishing as runner-up in the Zain Premier League and the Crown Prince Cup, as well as reaching the Amir’s Cup final (postponed due to regional circumstances) — both sides reached a mutual decision to part ways.

While Alves may not have an extensive head coaching résumé, he brings considerable experience as an assistant coach. His past roles include stints with Sharjah (UAE) and Al-Taawoun (Saudi Arabia), as well as several Portuguese clubs, including Vitória Guimarães, Trofense, Chaves, Moreirense, and Gil Vicente. He has also obtained the prestigious UEFA Pro License, qualifying him to manage both top-tier European clubs and national teams.

Alves and his assistant staff are expected to arrive in Kuwait within the next two days to finalize contract details, ahead of their first official duty: leading the team’s preseason training session on Tuesday.

Al-Arabi will begin its competitive campaign on August 12, facing Maziya Sports of the Maldives in a critical play-off match for a spot in the group stage of an upcoming international tournament.

One of the new coaching staff’s first major responsibilities will be finalizing the club’s foreign player lineup. The club has renewed contracts with its two Nigerian players, Emmanuel Iwala and Christopher John, but opted not to retain Sofiane Bouchar (Algeria), Hamza Khaba (Morocco), and Kamil Al-Aswad (Bahrain).

Al-Arabi’s management has been actively scouting foreign talent to strengthen the squad ahead of the Zain Premier League, which kicks off on September 12. Among the latest names linked to the club is Egyptian striker Marawan Hamdi, currently playing for Pyramids FC.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff